Gorillas In The Mist Quotes
"Dreams seldom materialize on their own."
"The importance of long-term field studies with the great apes."
"The seed was planted in my head, even if unconsciously, that I would someday return to Africa to study the gorillas of the mountains."
"My exultation at being free under African skies was abruptly shattered."
"The accident only strengthened my determination to get to the gorillas I had come to meet in Africa."
"I left Kabara with reluctance but with never a doubt that I would, somehow, return to learn more about the gorillas of the misted mountains."
"I call the sudden turn of events in my life fortuitous."
"By studying man’s closest living relatives, the great apes, new light could be shed on how our ancestors might have behaved."
"Sound preceded sight. Odor preceded sound."
"Their bright eyes darted nervously from under heavy brows as though trying to identify us as familiar friends or possible foes."
"Stimulating the gorillas’ curiosity was but one aspect of the habituation process learned over time."
"Any observer is an intruder in the domain of a wild animal and must remember that the rights of that animal supersede human interests."
"One cannot compromise on conservation goals within established park areas."
"With courage bolstered by hashish, they killed silverback gorillas for their ears, tongues, testicles, and small fingers."
"It took some four years after establishing Karisoke to clear the cattle out of the park."
"I was plagued by the thought that if there were cattle grazers then there certainly were poachers. What had become of all the gorillas I had first known?"
"Their desolation seemed to make them all the more powerful, almost supernatural."
"Once the plane's two engines came to a deafening silence, I had the impression of having flown through a million years of time in only ninety minutes."
"Teaching Rwandese how to track was far easier than instructing the students who eventually came to Karisoke."
"Most vegetation bends in the direction of a group's travel, knuckleprints may be found impressed upon intermittent dirt patches or trails, and chains of gorilla dung deposits provide other clues as to the direction of the animals' passage."
"Upon recognizing me, the group's dominant silverback swiftly braked to a stop three feet away, causing the four males behind him, momentarily and ungracefully, to pile up on top of him."
"I have always been convinced of the intrinsically gentle nature of gorillas and felt their charges were basically bluff in nature, so never hesitated to hold my ground."
"Active conservation is a straightforward issue. It begins with providing personal incentive on a one-to-one basis with individual Africans, not only to take pride in their park but also to assume personally some of the responsibility toward the protection of their heritage."
"Ironically enough it was poachers who introduced me to the first group encountered on Mt. Visoke, Group 4."
"Gorillas travel more rapidly in areas where food resources are limited, and also when they are undertaking 'exploratory sallies'—treks into unfamiliar terrain."
"The dung of lactating females is often covered with a whitish sheath, possibly a result of the tendency gorilla mothers have to eat the feces of their offspring during the infant’s first four to six months of life."
"It's an extraordinary feeling to be able to sit in the middle of a resting group of gorillas and contribute to a contented chorus of belch vocalizations."
"Once she was secured in the playpen, I gave her bits of Galium vine and thistle, which she immediately ate before dozing off in an exhausted slumber."
"The captives never quite got over their apprehension of the wide meadows around camp, but we had to cross the open areas to get to the tree-dump mounds that offered so much in the way of climbing and play facilities as well as a diversity of foods."
"Pucker’s inner conflict was triggered one day when a loud outbreak was heard from Group 5 high on the slopes behind camp."
"Both infants gave a spark of interest in the familiar foods, but, possibly because they evoked memories of the past, they began giving plaintive, whining cries."
"Coco sat on my lap calmly for a few minutes before walking to a long bench below the windows that overlooked nearby slopes of Visoke."
"During these relaxed sessions I learned a great deal about gorilla behavior that I had not gained previously from the free-ranging animals who had yet to become totally habituated to my presence."
"The two infants screamed in pain and fright almost every jolting minute of the way."
"Coco and Pucker’s outdoor freedom carried over into the security of their room, where eventually nearly every conceivable item of natural gorilla food was introduced three times a day."
"After realizing that Coco and Pucker craved such food I included boiled hamburger in their diet, which they ate before any of their cherished foliage or fruit."
"Pucker slowly approached the favored fruit to reach hesitantly for a berry. A small pig-grunting squabble broke out between them as they had their first experience in 'sharing.'"
"The two ruffians were more content to rest during this time of day."
"Once Coco and Pucker had eaten their fill, the four of us, including Cindy, set the cabin frame shaking as we chased, tumbled, and wrestled within the miniforest of their room."
"Hugging them to me, I felt like a traitor."
"There is no way to describe the pain of their loss, even now, more than a decade later."
"It was awesome to think of this as the only speck of light, other than perhaps occasional poacher fires, within the entire Virunga mountain range."
"I considered myself one of the world’s most fortunate people."
"Every afternoon he would come running to meet me with greeting clucks."
"She discovered that a quick reversal of her chasing direction inevitably caught Pucker offguard, resulting in a delightful head-on collision."
"The tranquillity of the nights was encompassed me as part of the tranquillity of the nights."
"I’ll never forget the sight of the tiny puppy yapping and nipping at elephants’ heels like a wearisome fly."
"I thought nothing of going out on poacher patrols or of making census counts."
"The first Karisoke cabin became a reality in only three weeks of cooperative work on the part of all of us."
"I was finally convinced that I could welcome the company of a puppy needing a home."
"The nature of our work was as simple and direct as our start with only two tents in 1967 had been."
"We saw the expansion of our aims with the support of Africans from all walks of life."
"As the forest will always be my real home, these men will always be my truest friends."
"The gifts of the forest were by far the most meaningful, particularly once the trust of the gorillas had been gained."
"The satisfaction came simply from doing."
"Their individual conservation efforts need not be heralded nor widely acclaimed."
"It was ironic that the poachers had chosen to climb onto the very knoll concealing Ian and the tracker."
"His wrist wound was serious, but after binding it up, the student and tracker went on to cut down the additional traps."
"We came to share a common goal by working together for the future of the wildlife of the Virungas."
"I had come to believe that self-motivation must necessarily accompany monetary assistance if long-term goals were to be accomplished."
My greatest fear was that the world would climb evangelistically onto a "save the gorilla" bandwagon upon hearing of Digit’s death.
"Was Digit going to be the first sacrificial victim from the study groups if monetary rewards were to follow the news of his slaughter?"
"This was my line of reasoning as Ian and I continued to discuss the pros and cons of publicizing Digit’s death."
"Cooperation with the government is essential, especially when one is a guest in a foreign country."
"The men wanted only to return as rapidly as possible to their villages and the local pombe bars."
"I had made the mistake of paying the guards extra for each poacher caught instead of paying a flat salary for each day’s work."
"This was a mistake I never repeated when later working with non-park-related recruitments, the only men I could personally motivate to work honestly and effectively."
"The uniforms and boots, of course, were eagerly received, likewise the extra money paid and the food eaten at camp, but the guards’ brief efforts were meaningless."
"I had tried countless times to encourage the men to participate actively in antipoacher patrols conducted from Karisoke in the heartland of the park."