After being rescued from an animal trafficking ring, four gorillas have successfully returned to the wild. The four female eastern lowland gorillas have had a chaotic few years.
According to the conservation organization Re: Wild, an animal trafficking ring abducted the four animals. But activists rescued the animals. Now, the apes are living at the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are free once again and enjoying their new home. It's been a long journey to this point.
The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) took in the four over a period of six years starting in 2010. The sanctuary cared for the animals after they were rescued from trafficking.
Gorillas Return To The Wild
"We've been caring for these gorillas since they were babies," shared Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke, the Democratic Republic of the Congo director for GRACE Gorillas. "Our ultimate goal has been to help them recover from the trauma of the illegal wildlife trade and the circumstances that followed, and get them back to the wild."
Their time at GRACE has helped them learn the skills that they will need to survive in the wild. Once reintroduced the gorillas quickly adapted to their new environment. Initially, they kept the gorillas in an enclosure but soon opened it up to allow them to come and go as they pleased.
"The gorillas surprised us by how quickly they wanted to leave the enclosure to go into the forest," Benoit Ishaba, head of gorilla monitoring on Mt. Tshiaberimu, told People. "They wanted to be with the silverback, and they immediately started learning from him. Within three days, they were eating plants that grow at higher altitudes that they had never eaten before, such as bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots. Now, they eat more species of plants than any gorillas on Mt. Tshiaberimu, and they appear healthy."
Researchers feel thrilled by the gorillas' reintroduction into the wild.
"The move went better than we could have hoped for. It made me really proud to see them adapt to living on Mt. Tshiaberimu and settle into their new home so quickly," said Dalmas Kakule Syangeha, an animal care manager at GRACE.
