In Search of the Endemic Grauer’s Gorilla in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Above: Approaching Bukavu from Lake Kivu – Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 6 July 2019

Spending lazy days in Goma with family and discovering Congolese cuisine like the famous fish sambaza and the plaintain lintula, sipping coffee in smart restaurants like Nyumbani for eastern Congo people speak Swahili unlike Kinshasa where Lingala is the lingua franca and French spoken widely, the gorilla painted on a gate caught my attention. It was a Grauer’s gorilla and endemic to DRC.

Sambaza the favourite fish from Lake Kivu - Copyright Rupi Mangat (800x450)
Sambaza the favourite fish from Lake Kivu – Copyright Rupi Mangat
Upmarket Nyumbani restaurant in Goma - Copyright Rupi Mangat (800x450)
Upmarket Nyumbani restaurant in Goma – Copyright Rupi Mangat

I’d never heard about this sub-species of mountain gorilla unlike its more famous cousin in the Virunga mountains. A visit to the office inside revealed that Grauer’s gorilla is found only in Kahuzi-Biega National Park not far from a town called Bukavu that’s 195 kilometers on the southern end of the lake. The researcher at the office was heading that way. He was happy to take us with him. My excitement shot through the clouds. Continue reading “In Search of the Endemic Grauer’s Gorilla in the Democratic Republic of Congo”