Dian Fossey Changed Our Perception of Mountain Gorillas as Ferocious to the Gentle Giants
There's a myth that gorillas are ferocious. It all began with the movie King Kong, where they got all kinds of things wrong. First, they're sailing off to Borneo. Second, gorillas don't live in Borneo. Orangutans do. Dian Fossey and I had a good laugh about this together.
Fay Wray caused all the ruckus screaming, shrieking, and crying, and Oh save me, save me. That's where the myth originated.
The silverback leader of each group is a family man. His first duty is to protect his family, which consists of females and their offspring. Dian Fossey's research revealed gorillas are gentle giants.
They only attack when provoked or feel a threat to one of their family members. Dian called them Mighty Wonderful Beasts, and they are.
If you ever visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, remember the Silverback leader's job is to protect his group. Suppose you break gorilla etiquette. For instance, you stare at a gorilla or run from a gorilla. In that case, you'll likely experience a gorilla charge. However, the good news is that 95% of the time, it's only a bluff. The bad news is when you're the one being charged, it doesn't feel that way.
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