0:00:05 > 0:00:09On one day every year in the city of London,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12you can encounter some extraordinary wildlife.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Hundreds of gorillas are roaming the streets.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23You wouldn't catch me running in one of these gorilla suits
0:00:23 > 0:00:28but nonetheless, the Great Gorilla Run does raise...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30great sums of money...
0:00:33 > 0:00:38..to help protect mountain gorillas in Central Africa.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39Wow!
0:00:45 > 0:00:49I met the real mountain gorillas
0:00:49 > 0:00:52over a quarter of a century ago in Africa
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and it's something I shall never, ever forget.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58At the time, they were on the verge of extinction.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02But since then, their numbers have increased despite all odds
0:01:02 > 0:01:05and they've become a conservation success story.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11How is it that mountain gorillas have been able to triumph over adversity?
0:01:11 > 0:01:14That's what's this programme is going to try and examine.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16GORILLAS GRUNT
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Fewer than 90,000 gorillas are left in the world
0:01:31 > 0:01:35and they live in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39split into western and eastern species.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43The future of all gorillas is uncertain.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49They're threatened by loss of habitat and hunting,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52by disease and political instability.
0:01:53 > 0:01:59But surprisingly, mountain gorillas, a sub species of eastern gorilla,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02have been increasing despite facing these same threats.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07That remarkable success is the subject of this story.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Some 700 mountain gorillas live in the wild today
0:02:11 > 0:02:15and for 380 of them home is in the Virunga Volcanoes,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18where the borders of Rwanda, Uganda
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and the Democratic Republic of Congo all meet.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28While those numbers may seem small, back in 1978 there were even fewer.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31That's when I got the chance of a lifetime
0:02:31 > 0:02:34to film them for the BBC series Life On Earth.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Spending time with these rare creatures
0:02:38 > 0:02:42was an unforgettable experience.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- HE WHISPERS:- There is more meaning
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance...
0:02:49 > 0:02:54with a gorilla than any other animal I know.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57We see the world in the same way that they do.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00They walk around on the ground as we do, though they're...
0:03:03 > 0:03:05..immensely more powerful than we are.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09And so if ever there was a possibility
0:03:09 > 0:03:14of escaping the human condition and living imaginatively
0:03:14 > 0:03:17in another creature's world...
0:03:17 > 0:03:19it must be with the gorilla.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27'That intimate encounter not only moved me,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30'it had a great effect on viewers everywhere.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36'Mountain gorillas became iconic animals that people cared about.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40'In order to understand how that happened,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44'we need to examine their troubled relationship with humanity.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52'The story begins over a century ago.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:56In 1861, Paul du Chaillu
0:03:56 > 0:04:00claimed to be the first white explorer
0:04:00 > 0:04:05to see the terrifying man-ape of Africa in the wild.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08He described the encounter in this book,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13"Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa."
0:04:13 > 0:04:17This is how he describes the gorilla.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21"His eyes began to flash fierce a fire
0:04:21 > 0:04:24"as we stood motionless on the defensive
0:04:24 > 0:04:28"and the crest of short hair which stands on his forehead
0:04:28 > 0:04:30"began to twitch rapidly up and down
0:04:30 > 0:04:33"while his powerful fangs were shown
0:04:33 > 0:04:37"as he again sent forth a thunderous roar.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39"And now truly he reminded me
0:04:39 > 0:04:42"of nothing but some hellish dream creature,
0:04:42 > 0:04:47"a being of that hideous order - half-man, half-beast.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50"Just as he began another of his roars,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55"beating his breast in rage, we fired and killed him."
0:04:55 > 0:04:57GUN SHOT
0:04:59 > 0:05:03These terrifying tales inspired other explorers
0:05:03 > 0:05:07who wanted to see this half-man, half-beast for themselves
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and to take specimens home as trophies.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16Thousands of western lowland gorillas were killed for private collections.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Some were taken alive and those that survived transportation
0:05:21 > 0:05:25were then sentenced to a life in captivity.
0:05:29 > 0:05:37Mountain gorillas were not discovered by European explorers until 1902.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40A German, Captain Robert von Beringe,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42was travelling in the Virunga Mountains
0:05:42 > 0:05:44when he came across two of them
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and shot them for scientific examination.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52The mountain gorilla was named after him - Gorilla Beringei.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01In 1921, the taxidermist Carl Akeley
0:06:01 > 0:06:07from the American Museum of Natural History joined the gorilla rush.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10He travelled to the Virungas to film and collect
0:06:10 > 0:06:14mountain Gorilla specimens, and he killed five of them.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18But Carl Akeley's triumph was short-lived.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22In his autobiography, he describes the shame he felt
0:06:22 > 0:06:25as he looked at the animal he had just killed.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32"As he lay at the base of the tree, it took all one's scientific ardour
0:06:32 > 0:06:36"to keep from feeling like a murderer.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40"He was a magnificent creature with the face of an amiable giant
0:06:40 > 0:06:44"who would do no harm, except perhaps in self-defence,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47"or in defence of his friends."
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Inspired by a new respect for gorillas,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Carl Akeley persuaded the King of Belgium
0:06:56 > 0:07:00to declare the home of the mountain gorilla a national park.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05So, on April 25th 1925,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07the Virunga Volcanoes
0:07:07 > 0:07:10became Africa's first national park.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16The first step towards saving mountain gorillas had been taken.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20But very little was known about the ecology,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23behaviour and population of mountain gorillas
0:07:23 > 0:07:27until zoologists began detailed field studies.
0:07:27 > 0:07:34A census in 1960 estimated that there were only 450 of them in the Virungas.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40By 1967, when the American Dian Fossey came here to study the gorillas,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45that estimate had decreased dramatically to just 275.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52On her arrival, Dian set up the Karisoke Research Centre
0:07:52 > 0:07:58and began what was to become the longest and most detailed study of gorillas so far.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Dian hardly seemed to be an ideal candidate for the job.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04She was not a zoologist.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07She had wanted to become a vet but failed her exams
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and became an occupational therapist instead.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17She suffered from emphysema and a fear of heights,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21not ideal when working in thin air on high mountains.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25But her love of animals and her strong will
0:08:25 > 0:08:28made up for her lack of expertise.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34It soon became clear to Dian
0:08:34 > 0:08:37that the mountain gorillas were in trouble.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43They were threatened not only by loss of habitat but by poachers.
0:08:46 > 0:08:53The National Park that had been created to protect them was failing to do so.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Dian would not only have the task of studying these animals,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02but she'd have to try and save them from extinction.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07She spent most of her time with one particular group
0:09:07 > 0:09:10and that was the one that we were to film
0:09:10 > 0:09:12for the BBC series Life On Earth.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17'Recently, those of us who were on that trip
0:09:17 > 0:09:21'got together to compare notes on just what happened.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25'Not surprisingly perhaps after this long time,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28'our memories didn't always exactly coincide.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:35'The director in charge of that programme was John Sparks.'
0:09:35 > 0:09:39It's not true. I mean, I wrote the script
0:09:39 > 0:09:43and, clearly, if you're talking about the evolution of leading to humanity -
0:09:43 > 0:09:47the opposable thumb, the thumb and forefinger giving a grip -
0:09:47 > 0:09:52and I wrote in my script, the original script, I wrote it with chimpanzees.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Then you said, "Oh, no, not chimpanzees again.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57"Why don't we do gorillas?"
0:09:57 > 0:10:02- And I said, "Because that's silly. Gorillas."- Yeah, yeah.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I've always been fascinated by primates anyway
0:10:05 > 0:10:07and I wanted to see mountain gorillas.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10So this is how these things have evolved, you see?
0:10:10 > 0:10:15I thought John's plan was rather over ambitious.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Mountain gorillas live 3,000 metres high,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20up in the Virunga Volcanoes,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and are notoriously difficult to approach.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28Getting to them would mean carrying all our film equipment
0:10:28 > 0:10:31up 45-degree slopes through thick jungle.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34And most problematical of all, there was no way
0:10:34 > 0:10:38that we would be able to film them without the help of Dian Fossey -
0:10:38 > 0:10:43the only person in the world who was studying them in the wild.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47I'd heard of Dian Fossey and from what I'd heard,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51I couldn't believe that Dian would allow a television crew coming in.
0:10:51 > 0:10:57I said, "You'll never get it." You wrote a persuasive letter or something but you got the answer.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I have to say it, it surprised us all
0:11:00 > 0:11:04that she wrote back a very nice letter saying, "You're welcome."
0:11:04 > 0:11:08So we immediately made plans to launch an expedition there.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14A few weeks later, we were on our way to the Virungas.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21But things didn't turn out as expected.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Our guide, we knew, would be a researcher
0:11:26 > 0:11:29who'd been working as Dian's assistant for over a year -
0:11:29 > 0:11:32a young Yorkshire man named Ian Redmond.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35When we arrived, the first person we met,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38down at Ruhengeri, was you, Ian,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and you said, "I have got terrible news.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49"One, Dian is very ill. But two, which is as important,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52"that she is being destroyed with sorrow
0:11:52 > 0:11:56"because her favourite gorilla has just been murdered."
0:11:56 > 0:11:58The victim was Digit,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02a young male gorilla for whom Dian had a special affection.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11He had been killed eight days before we arrived, on New Year's Eve 1977.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18He was 12 years old and had already gained the silver colouring of a mature male.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21That meant that, as a young silverback,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25he was expected to act as bodyguard for the family.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Eight days earlier, poachers managed to get into the park.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32They were setting snares for antelope
0:12:32 > 0:12:35but they were also after gorillas.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Determined to protect his family,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Digit would have fought any intruder.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46But his bravery was no defence against the poacher's spears.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Having killed him, they cut off his head and his hands
0:12:51 > 0:12:54in order to sell them for a few dollars as souvenirs.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59I had the, at that time, the worst experience in my life...
0:12:59 > 0:13:03finding the body of someone I'd known for over a year.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06It was also clear that there'd been a frenzy of violence
0:13:06 > 0:13:08because his body was covered with cuts
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and they'd obviously just been in a bloodlust.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15They took his head and his hands and they left the rest of the body
0:13:15 > 0:13:17because people in Rwanda don't eat gorillas -
0:13:17 > 0:13:20it's not a part of Africa where gorilla meat is favoured -
0:13:20 > 0:13:22so they had no use for the body
0:13:22 > 0:13:26and he was killed because foreigners were buying bits for souvenirs.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Then I had to go and find Dian.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39We sat and talked right through to dawn, actually.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I felt Digit should become a martyr,
0:13:42 > 0:13:47that his death should be used to try and prevent other deaths.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52Dian was very worried that if we successfully raised a lot of money off Digit's death,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55other gorillas would be killed to raise more money.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59But she did in the end agree to use Digit's death
0:13:59 > 0:14:03as a tool to raise awareness and raise funds
0:14:03 > 0:14:06to do what she called active conservation,
0:14:06 > 0:14:11which is patrols out protecting the gorillas in the forest.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15It seemed the worst possible time to try and visit Dian
0:14:15 > 0:14:21and ask if we could make a natural history sequence for a television programme.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23If we had put a foot wrong,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26if we had said something
0:14:26 > 0:14:30that suggested we would not treat the gorillas with proper respect...
0:14:30 > 0:14:33We would have been out that door fast enough!
0:14:33 > 0:14:35She'd have no hesitation in saying, "Get out!"
0:14:35 > 0:14:37But when we arrived,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Dian decided that our filming trip
0:14:40 > 0:14:43could help publicise the plight of the gorillas
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and agreed that our filming could go ahead as planned.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51She gave Martin Saunders special instructions on how to go about the job.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55I think we were very much on trial, the first day we went with them.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57We certainly were.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01I remember being told, "Don't look them in the face,
0:15:01 > 0:15:07"don't stare them in the eyes and don't stand up and crawl through the vegetation and grunt."
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I mean, when Dickie and me saw them first, we started grunting, boy!
0:15:12 > 0:15:16We were grunting and we'd no intention of standing up, that's for sure.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19The first view of a silverback...
0:15:20 > 0:15:22A great swirl of vegetation
0:15:22 > 0:15:28and this huge animal sort of disappearing into the undergrowth.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30At our first encounter with them,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33you saw palm trees being snapped off and...
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Here were very, very powerful animals.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38We were just about to approach them
0:15:38 > 0:15:42and, you know, there's just a little frisson of fear.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Well, maybe they are kind of real King Kongs.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48'We were all astonished to discover just how gentle
0:15:48 > 0:15:52'these giants really were when they were undisturbed.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I must say as a cameraman, I was very surprised.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59I did not expect to get as close to the gorillas as we got.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02This was the gift that Dian gave the world.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07- Yes.- The technique of winning the trust of completely wild gorillas.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10It is quite difficult to keep your distance
0:16:10 > 0:16:13because it's not that you go to them - they come to you.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16No, no, and once you're accepted you become irrelevant.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Yeah. I had a problem because one saw a reflection in the camera,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24thought it was another gorilla and came and put his arm round me!
0:16:24 > 0:16:27It was impossible to film it because....
0:16:27 > 0:16:30THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER
0:16:30 > 0:16:34That was one of the great moments of the filming actually, Martin,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39was seeing this gorilla fingering the back of your head, trying to see who it was!
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It was entirely thanks to Dian Fossey
0:16:43 > 0:16:46that we were able to get so close to the gorillas.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48After years of gaining their confidence,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51she had habituated them to her presence
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and they allowed her to sit alongside them without any concern.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59'Puck has become very curious about my still camera.'
0:16:59 > 0:17:04By the 1970s, Dian's television reports and articles
0:17:04 > 0:17:06had made her famous worldwide.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And through her, people had come to know her gorillas
0:17:10 > 0:17:14as individuals with names and personalities.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17'I'm always amused by three-year-old Pablo's pout,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20'which is unusual for gorillas.'
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Dian knew little Pablo particularly well.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28He was always hanging around her, intrigued by what she was up to.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33It was the same confident Pablo who chose to lie on me
0:17:33 > 0:17:35during the Life On Earth filming.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47David, what was your recollection of this moment?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Oh, I suppose bliss, really.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53- Yeah, you looked quite happy with everything.- But you're grimacing.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Well, I was only grimacing because he's pulling my leg.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59One of them out of shot there is pulling my foot.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03These baby gorillas started taking off my shoes.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Well, you can't talk about the opposable thumb
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and the importance in primate evolution of the grip
0:18:09 > 0:18:11if somebody's taking off your shoes,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15particularly if that somebody is two baby gorillas.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20So I thought, "Well, this is... we can't actually do this."
0:18:20 > 0:18:25And so, actually, notions of primate evolution
0:18:25 > 0:18:30- and the technicalities of digital grips vanished.- Yes. Out the window.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34And I just sort of lay there while this extraordinary experience...
0:18:37 > 0:18:42This was one of those amazing moments of that filming expedition.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47I had the expectation of getting David
0:18:47 > 0:18:49with a few gorillas in the background
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and then to suddenly find he was surrounded by gorillas
0:18:52 > 0:18:54with youngsters sort of up-ending on him
0:18:54 > 0:18:59and sticking their bottoms in his face and biting his knee - unbelievable!
0:18:59 > 0:19:05That was certainly one of the most unforgettable moments of my career
0:19:05 > 0:19:08in making natural history films.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It was a marvellous, blissful moment.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21Dian loved her gorillas as she might have loved her own children.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25The killing of Digit, her favourite, was a terrible blow for her.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Furthermore, she had been severely ill for some time.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33She had a chest infection and was spitting blood.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39It was in this physical and emotional state
0:19:39 > 0:19:42that Dian asked for our help.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45She was in a frenzy of grief, wasn't she, really?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49It was only on our last night there,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54when we had filmed and got this remarkable footage,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58she invited me to her cabin and we talked for, I don't know,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01an hour or so in which she said,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06"You must promise me that you will go back and you will organise fund-raising."
0:20:06 > 0:20:10And I gave her that promise.
0:20:12 > 0:20:18So we set off on the return journey back to Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21But there was further trouble ahead.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26We came down off the mountain to meet a truck in a field.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29We all got in this truck, I remember I was sat with the driver,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and we turned round this corner
0:20:31 > 0:20:36and there were some khaki-clad Africans in the road.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38And the driver said, "Bandits."
0:20:38 > 0:20:40And put his foot down and we charged through these.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44And John and David and Dickie was over on the back of the truck
0:20:44 > 0:20:49and I suddenly heard these bullets winging over their heads, yeah?
0:20:49 > 0:20:53It was then that it dawned on us that actually it wasn't bandits,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56it was the army that had been sent to arrest us
0:20:56 > 0:21:00because we seemed to have been caught in the middle of some sort of in-fight
0:21:00 > 0:21:02about making an anti-Rwandese publicity film
0:21:02 > 0:21:07about the way they weren't looking after the natural resources after Digit was killed.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11It was an alarming situation.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Ian had stayed on the mountain with Dian and we didn't know who was who.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19But you don't argue with people carrying loaded rifles.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24I was hauled off the back and taken away to be strip searched
0:21:24 > 0:21:28and so on, and you said to me,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- "Don't worry, I've changed the labels on the cans."- That's right.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Dickie Bird, the sound recordist, and myself were on the truck.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39"Dickie," I said, "if they confiscate this film, all that effort's for nothing."
0:21:39 > 0:21:45We put exposed labels on unexposed rolls of film and we gave them the unexposed rolls of film.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51- Dave and I were taken to a sort of army camp...- Barbed wire enclosure!
0:21:51 > 0:21:55A barbed wire enclosure. And taken to see someone who effectively started to say,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58"Well, this is all a big mistake." Didn't he?
0:21:58 > 0:22:02And I think he wanted about 2,000, or a lot of money,
0:22:02 > 0:22:08and I said I wasn't going to pay and David said, "Pay it!" and I argued with him.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- You threatened to kill him! - Yeah, that's right, yes. Yeah!
0:22:12 > 0:22:15We jumped into a taxi and went straight to the airport.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21We got onto our plane and when I saw the runway disappear behind us, I thought, "Thank God!"
0:22:21 > 0:22:24That's right, yeah, yes. Yes, yes.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31We now had to continue with the rest of the filming for Life On Earth elsewhere in Africa.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Back in Rwanda, Dian was spending less time on scientific research
0:22:39 > 0:22:43and more on her war against the poachers.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49She established the first effective anti-poaching patrols in the Virungas.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Patrols which eventually joined forces with government rangers
0:22:53 > 0:22:55and continue to this day.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05When they caught poachers, they brought them back to Dian for questioning
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and only then handed them over to the authorities.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13But Dian was also known to have more controversial methods for deterring poachers.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16There were stories of her attempting to terrify them
0:23:16 > 0:23:20using Halloween masks and even kidnapping their children.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24But she realised that if she didn't take extreme action fast,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26there would be no gorillas left.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32It wasn't just poachers that Dian had to worry about.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37The gorillas' forest home, on which they depended, was rapidly disappearing.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41It had already been reduced to a tiny island of forest
0:23:41 > 0:23:46in the middle of an immense sea of humanity.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Now the increasing human population
0:23:49 > 0:23:53was threatening the little patch of forest that was left.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00It was being cleared to make way for fields in which to grow Pyrethrum,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04a kind of chrysanthemum that had suddenly become very valuable
0:24:04 > 0:24:07as an eco-friendly alternative to the insecticide DDT,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11which was poisoning so much wildlife in Europe.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14So, paradoxically, protecting European eagles
0:24:14 > 0:24:17was now threatening African apes.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19When the European community
0:24:19 > 0:24:23sponsored the Rwandan government to remove 40% of the park
0:24:23 > 0:24:30to grow pyrethrum so that we had this biodegradable insecticide for our crops,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33they were actually going to take that limit up to the 10,000ft mark.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Dian told me she saw the plans and it was coming up to Karisoke,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39right up to the research centre would have been fields.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42She fought that, in her inimitable way,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44undoubtedly pounding tables and dominating people
0:24:44 > 0:24:49and got the limit of the park redrawn at the 8,500ft level.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53And if she hadn't done that, for sure there would not be...
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Dian was single-handedly battling to save the gorillas,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00despite her ill health.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05If there was ever a time when she needed outside help, it was now.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13Back in Britain, the Life On Earth series was broadcast on television.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It was a great success and eventually seen by 500 million people worldwide.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22The gorilla episode was arguably the most popular sequence of all
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and many people began to feel they wanted to help
0:25:25 > 0:25:28in the struggle to save these beautiful creatures.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I hadn't forgotten my promise to Dian
0:25:31 > 0:25:35to help raise funds for mountain gorilla conservation.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40When I came back, we got you and Sandy Harcourt and Kelly Stewart
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and the Fauna and Flora International,
0:25:43 > 0:25:48and we set up the Mountain Gorilla Project there and then,
0:25:48 > 0:25:52which started to raise money and eventually raised a lot of money.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- And continues in a new guise to this day.- Yeah.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Bill Weber was one of the key players
0:25:59 > 0:26:04responsible for implementing the Mountain Gorilla Project in Rwanda.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08When he began, more than half the people told him
0:26:08 > 0:26:11they thought the area should be cleared for agriculture.
0:26:11 > 0:26:17Convincing the local people of the value of gorilla conservation wasn't going to be easy.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24The Mountain Gorilla Project started officially in the summer of 1979
0:26:24 > 0:26:26and had three main components.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31One was to improve park protection and security - hire more guards, train them better.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33To start an education programme,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36so that you not only had millions of people around the world
0:26:36 > 0:26:38who cared about gorillas,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42but that you had at least thousands of Rwandans who knew and cared about gorillas.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47But what became the lynch pin of the Mountain Gorilla Project was the tourism programme.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50We went to the park service and said,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53"You can make a lot more money off of tourism,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57"if you set up a programme that has gorilla-based tourism at its heart."
0:26:57 > 0:26:59The term ecotourism didn't exist at the time,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02but it really was a prototype of that.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09There's just nothing quite like being in and among mountain gorillas.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11People will pay whatever's asked in Rwanda.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Mountain gorillas are exceedingly tolerant of a human presence,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19they just seem to almost love having the company.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26But the Mountain Gorilla Project faced opposition from two sources.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30First, the Ministry of Agriculture with European funding
0:27:30 > 0:27:36was about to take another one third of the park, 5,000 hectares, for a cattle-raising project.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40They were a very strong ministry and the park service wasn't in those days.
0:27:40 > 0:27:48Surprisingly, the second source of opposition to the Mountain Gorilla Project was Dian Fossey herself.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51I thought she would welcome the support and the funds,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56but she didn't feel that the education projects were a priority
0:27:56 > 0:28:00and saw gorilla tourism as more of a hindrance than a help.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Dian believed that the gorillas ought to be protected for their own values.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08I think that's a noble sentiment, but it wasn't working.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12While she was here, the gorilla population had been nearly halved,
0:28:12 > 0:28:1440% of the park had been cleared.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19We felt you needed an alternative and that's what the Mountain Gorilla Project offered.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I think, although it was portrayed as an opposite point of view -
0:28:22 > 0:28:29Dian active conservation versus the Mountain Gorilla Project and its long-term view - both were right.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31You can't have one without the other,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35but in terms of priorities, if you've got £1,000, what do you spend it on?
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Education for the next generation while gorillas die today?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Or patrols that protect the gorillas now
0:28:41 > 0:28:45and then try to find some more money for the future education?
0:28:46 > 0:28:50I think Dian's contribution as a conservationist is fairly limited.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55She came to study the gorillas. She was forced into protecting them,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57she did some things that she thought would help.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01I don't think they were effective, some of were counter-productive.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04I think it required people with a different vision
0:29:04 > 0:29:09and a different approach to make conservation work in this park and for the gorillas.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12I believed we were supporting exactly the same mission as Dian,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15we just used different techniques.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Although Dian Fossey has many critics,
0:29:18 > 0:29:25she certainly succeeded in stimulating world-wide interest in mountain gorillas and their plight.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31All too easily, the mountain gorilla may become extinct.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34That's something we cannot afford to forget.
0:29:40 > 0:29:45Dian's fame led to a best-selling book, "Gorillas In The Mist",
0:29:45 > 0:29:48which was published in 1983.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Her story sparked an interest in Hollywood
0:29:51 > 0:29:55and production started on a feature film about her life.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02It was a tragedy that,
0:30:02 > 0:30:06just as the world was becoming concerned about mountain gorillas
0:30:06 > 0:30:10and international efforts were uniting to halt their decline,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Dian was no longer there to witness the progress.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18She died on the night of December 26th 1985.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Her death was not natural.
0:30:22 > 0:30:28'An American naturalist working in the Central African state of Rwanda has been found murdered.'
0:30:28 > 0:30:33The body of Miss Dian Fossey was discovered at the Karisoke Research Institute,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35which she founded herself.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39No details were given about how she met her death or who her killers were.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Ian Redmond was back in England when he heard the terrible news.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48I travelled out to Rwanda.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50We went up to her cabin,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52she had just been buried.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56I'd missed the funeral but her blood stains were still on the carpet.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00There was a chunk where a machete had hit her bedside table
0:31:00 > 0:31:03and Dian's hair was caught in a splinter.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05It was the scene of the crime.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11But we don't know who did it and the murder's never been solved.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15She was standing in the way of certain individuals making money.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Whether because they were making money through bush meat,
0:31:18 > 0:31:20or the gold smuggling trade,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23or someone's aspirations to turn Karisoke into a tourist camp
0:31:23 > 0:31:25and make a lot of money that way.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30If you stand in the way of someone who is ruthless, who wants to make a lot of money,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34then it's not that surprising that she was killed.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42Dian Fossey's grave now lies alongside those of her gorilla friends.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46She spent 19 years researching and campaigning passionately,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48on behalf of the gorillas,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51and ultimately gave her life for them.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56As her gravestone says, "No-one loved gorillas more."
0:31:56 > 0:31:59All of us absolutely recognise that if it wasn't for Dian,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03the mountain gorillas probably wouldn't be there at all now.
0:32:03 > 0:32:09I think her short-term measures, which some people see as politically incorrect or inappropriate,
0:32:09 > 0:32:11or not the best way forward,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13were what held the ground until more thoughtful
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and better planned long-term measures were put in place.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20She was a fantastic role model for millions of people
0:32:20 > 0:32:22and inspired millions of people.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27I think she deserves a better reputation in science than she has.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Dian started what is less glamorous
0:32:30 > 0:32:35but is essential to have long-term monitoring of populations.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39We now have life histories of individuals, families,
0:32:39 > 0:32:44changes in groups, births, deaths, infidelities -
0:32:44 > 0:32:47all of this for gorillas since the late 1960s,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49and that's a great contribution.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57Dian had been murdered but the feature film about her life still went ahead.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02Sigourney Weaver played her character in Gorillas In The Mist.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07To mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Dian Fossey,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Sigourney Weaver returned to Rwanda
0:33:10 > 0:33:13to pay her respects and find out how Dian's legacy
0:33:13 > 0:33:16continues to help the mountain gorillas.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22'Playing Dian, I think, um...
0:33:22 > 0:33:24'gave me such an experience
0:33:24 > 0:33:29'of how much of a difference one individual can make.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31'I'd never played anyone real before
0:33:31 > 0:33:35'and I was so moved by the fact
0:33:35 > 0:33:37'that here is this woman, who came all by herself,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40'having never really been to Africa,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42'and started researching mountain gorillas
0:33:42 > 0:33:46'and really started this whole movement, not just to study them,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50'but also to rescue them from what was certain extinction.'
0:33:50 > 0:33:53I think that it's a very inspiring story.
0:33:53 > 0:33:59And I think I appreciate it even more now than I did when I was playing her -
0:33:59 > 0:34:03how courageous she had to be and how determined
0:34:03 > 0:34:07and how much she must have loved these animals.
0:34:09 > 0:34:15The movie Gorillas In the Mist was not only a huge box-office success,
0:34:15 > 0:34:19it also persuaded millions worldwide to care about mountain gorillas.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Sigourney Weaver herself became determined
0:34:23 > 0:34:25to do whatever she could to help.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30Since 1987, she's been campaigning to save them
0:34:30 > 0:34:34as the Honorary Chair of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50Public support for gorilla conservation and tourism increased following the movie,
0:34:50 > 0:34:55and mountain gorillas became the latest must-see animal.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04In the '80s and early '90s, their population steadily grew
0:35:04 > 0:35:08to about 320 individuals
0:35:08 > 0:35:10and their future was looking promising.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15But this period of stability and growth
0:35:15 > 0:35:18was about to come to a sudden end.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27The countries which, between them, share the mountain gorillas -
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire -
0:35:32 > 0:35:35have a history of political turmoil.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39When civil war broke out in Rwanda,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43caused by rivalries between extremist Hutus and Tutsis,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46gorilla tourism came to an abrupt halt
0:35:46 > 0:35:50and the future of the animals became very uncertain.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55At the start of the war, both sides,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57realising the gorillas' economic value,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00issued assurances that they would not be killed.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06But when the war escalated to horrific levels, no-one was safe.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10In 1994, a million people were killed
0:36:10 > 0:36:14in 100 days of genocidal slaughter.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18The staff involved in gorilla research and conservation
0:36:18 > 0:36:21were forced to flee and several died.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27The region became the scene of the worst humanitarian crisis
0:36:27 > 0:36:30since the Second World War.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34There were two million refugees at camps bordering the park
0:36:34 > 0:36:38and the forest was plundered for firewood and bush meat.
0:36:47 > 0:36:52In August 1994, only days after the war had come to an end,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Ian Redmond and Dieter Steklis,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, went back to Rwanda.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04Their plan was to rescue the park staff who'd been forced to flee
0:37:04 > 0:37:06and were now in refugee camps in Zaire.
0:37:06 > 0:37:12They were also anxious to find out how the gorillas had been affected by the war.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17Their hazardous journey was filmed by the BBC for a nature special.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18We drove down from Uganda,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21crossed the border not knowing what we were gonna find.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Travelling through Rwanda, through the road blocks,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32past the bodies in the ditches...
0:37:32 > 0:37:35It was a country that stank of death.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40Everyone of my Rwandan friends had lost a member of their family,
0:37:40 > 0:37:42some of them most of their family.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46That really was an awful period.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56It was obvious the surrounding area was being stripped of its forest,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59of its wood, and you can't blame the people.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02It's cold and wet - they need to cook food and keep warm.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07But in just trying to survive, they were destroying the surrounding forest.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11We knew that hungry people would be buying bush meat
0:38:11 > 0:38:14and if we didn't get some sort of protection in there quickly,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17then the park would be awash with snares and hunters
0:38:17 > 0:38:21killing antelope and buffalo, even if they weren't targeting gorillas.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25So we wanted to get the conservation work restarted
0:38:25 > 0:38:30before the poachers got organized and they would be quick off the mark.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36After days of searching, Ian Redmond and Dieter Steklis
0:38:36 > 0:38:39finally tracked down some of the park's staff.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43It was critical that they were brought back to the park quickly
0:38:43 > 0:38:45to prevent the widespread killing of gorillas.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53The knowledge that's in the heads of trackers and guides and rangers
0:38:53 > 0:38:56is what the future of those gorillas depend on.
0:38:56 > 0:39:01And so looking after our friends and getting them back to work was one thing.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09And to go into the forest, which many would see
0:39:09 > 0:39:12as being kind of an alien environment, hostile,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16felt actually like walking back into the garden of Eden.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18It was wonderful - this oppression lifted
0:39:18 > 0:39:23and we were back with the smells and the sounds of the forest.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26We got up to the research centre
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and found the buildings had been trashed,
0:39:29 > 0:39:31possessions had been stolen or destroyed
0:39:31 > 0:39:34and it was a mess, but there were still cabins there then.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38It was heart-breaking for Ian and Dieter.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41The research centre was in ruins
0:39:41 > 0:39:45but their biggest concern was whether any of the park's gorillas had been killed.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50We had somewhere to stay and we went out the next day to find one of the gorilla groups.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55Ian was filled with apprehension as he hiked in search of the gorillas.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03And there they were, going about their business in the forest.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05It was wonderful to see them.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09To his great relief, he had been able to locate and identify
0:40:09 > 0:40:13more and more of his gorilla friends, one by one.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Over the years of unrest, more than 20 had disappeared
0:40:20 > 0:40:24but that was far fewer than most people had expected.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30It may well be that most of the gorillas had able to flee
0:40:30 > 0:40:32and so had avoided the cross-fire.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36But now they were back, and Ian and Dieter were able to reinstate park staff
0:40:36 > 0:40:39and restart patrols by guards
0:40:39 > 0:40:43before poachers were able to resume their hunting.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47The gorillas were now protected once again.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53The feeling at this stage was just one of enormous relief
0:40:53 > 0:40:57to find that Pablo's group, as well as Titus's, were basically intact.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01That they survived the worst of the war and seemed to be OK.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05It was very much the feeling
0:41:05 > 0:41:09that the gorillas really had a lesson for us,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12that we humans should perhaps take a lesson out of their book
0:41:12 > 0:41:14and stop killing our neighbours and our friends
0:41:14 > 0:41:17and concentrate on the important things in life -
0:41:17 > 0:41:20like eating and playing and making babies.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24It seemed like a good omen that we were able to protect them again.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30It's extraordinary how, in only 10 years,
0:41:30 > 0:41:35Rwanda has repaired itself, healed itself,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38and yes, of course there are still conflicts,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41people trying to get over the terrible things that happened,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44but it is very much the feeling of a country
0:41:44 > 0:41:47that is pulling itself together and moving forward.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50And what is wonderful in terms of the gorilla story
0:41:50 > 0:41:56is that the gorillas are right at the centre of that progressive look forward.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01Ian's Nature Special was screened on New Year's Day 1995.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05Viewers were reassured that the mountain gorillas
0:42:05 > 0:42:08had survived the war with minimum casualties.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17In the following years, tourism began to increase again as security in the region improved.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35By the year 2000, there were 360 mountain gorillas.
0:42:35 > 0:42:41The next BBC primate series, Cousins, broadcast the same year,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45showed viewers that the mountain gorillas were indeed thriving.
0:42:48 > 0:42:55Primatologist Dr Charlotte Uhlenbroek went to Rwanda to film with the gorillas.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58The highlight of the whole trip, of course,
0:42:58 > 0:43:03was meeting this newborn baby gorilla.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08We were so lucky. It was literally the night before we arrived,
0:43:08 > 0:43:13we heard the news that a baby gorilla had been born.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17And it was such a fantastic sign of hope, I felt,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21because Rwanda had been devastated by war
0:43:21 > 0:43:23and, against all odds, the gorillas had survived -
0:43:23 > 0:43:26they continued their lives in the forest
0:43:26 > 0:43:29and here was this new arrival, a new generation.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34Such an optimistic sign for the future of those mountain gorillas, I felt.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37The fact that this baby had been born to a mother
0:43:37 > 0:43:39who had not only survived the war,
0:43:39 > 0:43:43but had lost a hand and a foot in poachers' snares
0:43:43 > 0:43:45was a cause for great celebration.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54It was very touching because the park rangers got together
0:43:54 > 0:43:58and decided they wanted to name the gorilla Bibisi, after our film crew.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00It was a real honour.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03So when we got down from the mountain that day, we cracked open some beers
0:44:03 > 0:44:09and wet the baby's head, metaphorically, of course!
0:44:09 > 0:44:12And it was lovely and made us feel
0:44:12 > 0:44:17that we had a very, very special connection with this baby.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22The birth of baby Bibisi was a source of optimism,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25but the threats to gorillas had not gone away.
0:44:29 > 0:44:30GUN SHOTS
0:44:30 > 0:44:34On 9th May 2002, gunshots were heard in the park.
0:44:34 > 0:44:40Two adult female gorillas, Impanga and Muraha, were found dead.
0:44:40 > 0:44:44Muraha's infant was still clinging to her mother's dead body.
0:44:47 > 0:44:52But Impanga's infant, baby Bibisi, was missing.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58It was absolutely devastating when we got the news
0:44:58 > 0:45:01that Bibisi had actually been kidnapped
0:45:01 > 0:45:04and Impanga, her mother, had been killed.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09To this day, we don't know what happened to baby Bibisi.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13Very, very few mountain gorillas make it,
0:45:13 > 0:45:17especially when they're ripped from their mother's arms at the age of two.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Just the trauma of that experience alone is enough to kill them.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25I think it's highly unlikely that she would have made it,
0:45:25 > 0:45:27which is desperately sad.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33The capture of baby Bibisi was not a one-off case.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36Baby gorillas are still being snatched from the wild,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40despite the fact that the commercial trade in all apes
0:45:40 > 0:45:46is prohibited by the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52One baby mountain gorilla that was recently stolen was rescued
0:45:52 > 0:45:56and is being kept near the Rwandan park headquarters.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59This is three-year-old Maisha.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03Park staff were tipped off that she was being offered for sale
0:46:03 > 0:46:07and rescued her from where she was being secretly kept.
0:46:07 > 0:46:12Chris Whittier, a vet from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project,
0:46:12 > 0:46:14is responsible for her care.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18The police and the Parks Authorities did an undercover operation
0:46:18 > 0:46:22and managed to find where she was and arrested a number of poachers.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26Up until that time, she'd been in a cave inside of a sack,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28so it was pretty horrible conditions.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33By the time Maisha was rescued, she was very traumatized.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37It's likely that she would have witnessed the murder of some of her family,
0:46:37 > 0:46:42as poachers would almost certainly have had to kill them in order to steal their baby.
0:46:42 > 0:46:47Caring for mountain gorillas in captivity is not easy. Few survive.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51But the vets here are specialists in gorilla medicine
0:46:51 > 0:46:55and are doing everything they can to ensure her survival.
0:46:55 > 0:47:00Maisha is currently the only captive Mountain gorilla in the world.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04An orphan, she needs 24-hour care and attention.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08She's evaluated periodically to look at her social adjustment
0:47:08 > 0:47:11and how confident she is, and those sort of things.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Right now, the assessment is that she's doing well,
0:47:15 > 0:47:20she's come a long way, but that she needs a little bit more time still
0:47:20 > 0:47:24to really get to a normal behavioural level of a gorilla her age.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28The team caring for Maisha have a moral dilemma.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32It seems wrong to keep her in captivity longer than absolutely necessary,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35but releasing her into the wild is very risky.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40She could be rejected by other gorilla groups, injured or even killed.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44Our hope is that she will get back into the wild
0:47:44 > 0:47:48and become a healthy individual, contribute to the population.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50That's easier said than done.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Every gorilla is precious.
0:47:53 > 0:47:59Their populations are still so low that the loss of a single one could be critical.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07But the mountain gorilla's fame will help its survival.
0:48:07 > 0:48:12A gorilla kidnap today is a concern nationally and internationally.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Thanks to the economic value of gorilla tourism,
0:48:19 > 0:48:25these animals are now recognised as one of the regions most valuable assets.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30In Rwanda, over 8,000 visitors every year
0:48:30 > 0:48:34pay up to 375 each to see the gorillas.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38The annual revenue generated is over 2 million.
0:48:38 > 0:48:43And the local community stands to benefit directly from the gorillas,
0:48:43 > 0:48:48as the government has pledged to give them 5% of the park fees.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Mountain gorillas are very, very important
0:48:51 > 0:48:53to the Rwandan economy and to the Rwandan people.
0:48:53 > 0:48:58Now, for us, it is an identity. Say, "Rwanda" then say, "Gorillas."
0:48:58 > 0:49:01They are the flagship of tourism in Rwanda,
0:49:01 > 0:49:04now tourism is placed as number three,
0:49:04 > 0:49:08as one of the major foreign exchange earners.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Also, when you come specifically here to the Virunga,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16it's helping us in conservation.
0:49:16 > 0:49:21We could not have saved this habitat if there were no gorillas there.
0:49:23 > 0:49:28It's no surprise to me that gorilla tourism is so popular.
0:49:28 > 0:49:33Spending time with gorillas is an experience like no other.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36And they are as interested in us as we are in them.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39Ian has his own theories on why this is so.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43I think they're intrigued by how little our canine teeth are.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- Is that right?- I think that...
0:49:45 > 0:49:47- Genuinely so?- Yeah, I think they...
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Apart from the fact we haven't got a beard and big black head?
0:49:50 > 0:49:55Yeah, you look and smell like an adult male.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59And we smell the same as them, especially sweating through the undergrowth!
0:49:59 > 0:50:03When we're with them... It all suddenly came back to me,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06sort of visions of school,
0:50:06 > 0:50:12because I thought, "This smells like a rugby changing room after a hot sweaty, match."
0:50:12 > 0:50:14- Without liniment!- Yes.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18You are constantly being reminded that they're your close relations
0:50:18 > 0:50:22because they behave in ways and react in ways
0:50:22 > 0:50:25which are very reminiscent of humans.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27The problem is that it's almost too much
0:50:27 > 0:50:31because if you're not careful, you identify too much
0:50:31 > 0:50:34and you interpret too much in your own terms
0:50:34 > 0:50:36and you probably get it wrong.
0:50:38 > 0:50:45But visitors are no longer allowed to get as close as I was to Pablo back in 1978.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50The fact that we are so genetically similar to gorillas,
0:50:50 > 0:50:53sharing 98% of the same genes,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56means that gorillas can catch our diseases.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01That's why it's so important
0:51:01 > 0:51:03that human visitors must be in good health,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07and that they keep to a distance of seven metres.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Visits are also limited to just one hour
0:51:12 > 0:51:15to reduce our impact on the animals.
0:51:15 > 0:51:20Staff from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and the National Park
0:51:20 > 0:51:24monitor the health of the gorillas in the Virunga Mountains every day.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Gorillas can be prone to respiratory illnesses,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30but the vets only intervene
0:51:30 > 0:51:34if an illness or injury is potentially life-threatening.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41Treatment can be disruptive to the group and dangerous,
0:51:41 > 0:51:44for both the people and the gorillas.
0:51:48 > 0:51:53Prevention is better than cure and eliminating disease here,
0:51:53 > 0:51:57in both humans and animals, is of the greatest importance.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01The fact that people live and work so close to the edge of the park,
0:52:01 > 0:52:04increases the risk of the spread of disease
0:52:04 > 0:52:07from humans to gorillas and vice versa.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13To improve the health of the human community,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17organizations like the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
0:52:17 > 0:52:20are supporting clinics surrounding the park,
0:52:20 > 0:52:22providing medicine and education.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31The hope is that the health of the people and the gorillas will improve as a result
0:52:31 > 0:52:34and that the local community will feel that they themselves
0:52:34 > 0:52:38are benefiting from gorilla conservation.
0:52:46 > 0:52:51Protecting the gorillas' habitat, preventing poaching and the transmission of disease,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53providing them with veterinary care
0:52:53 > 0:52:56and giving them a real earning power through tourism,
0:52:56 > 0:53:02has resulted in a significant increase in the gorillas' numbers.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06But this success would not have been possible without political stability
0:53:06 > 0:53:11and the government's commitment to ensure their survival.
0:53:11 > 0:53:16Rwanda is proud of its growing population of mountain gorillas.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Recently, the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame,
0:53:20 > 0:53:26hosted a Gorilla Naming ceremony to celebrate the birth of 27 new baby gorillas in the park.
0:53:28 > 0:53:33We in Rwanda are the custodians of the gorillas, plus our neighbours,
0:53:33 > 0:53:35but we need to involve as many people as possible.
0:53:37 > 0:53:43We want to tell the world that these are the only remaining gorillas in the world,
0:53:43 > 0:53:48so every person on this planet has got to have a stake.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52It's a fragile success but I know that if everybody is committed,
0:53:52 > 0:53:57then we will really make it a reality for all the generations to come.
0:53:58 > 0:54:03So the future of mountain gorillas is looking hopeful.
0:54:03 > 0:54:08But the prospect for eastern and western lowland gorillas is much more bleak.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11There are fewer than 90,000 of them left in the world
0:54:11 > 0:54:14and their numbers are declining rapidly,
0:54:14 > 0:54:19as a result of deforestation, hunting and diseases such as Ebola.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Little of their habitat is protected
0:54:24 > 0:54:31and the areas in which they live are affected by civil war, lawlessness and extreme poverty.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36Gorillas are not the only endangered great ape.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Orang-utans, chimpanzees and bonobos all face similar threats
0:54:40 > 0:54:42and if we don't act now,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46they will become extinct in our children's lifetime.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50We're going to need serious commitment at the highest levels,
0:54:50 > 0:54:55if we're to save the world's remaining great apes.
0:54:58 > 0:55:03The first big step has already been taken.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07In September 2005, an international meeting was brokered
0:55:07 > 0:55:11by the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Countries and organisations
0:55:13 > 0:55:16were encouraged to sign up to the Kinshasa Agreement
0:55:16 > 0:55:20to save great apes from extinction.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Ian Redmond believes this is a positive step forward.
0:55:24 > 0:55:30All those individual efforts from small organisations and big organisations
0:55:30 > 0:55:32have now been knitted into a global strategy.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Instead of individual little heroic efforts going on here and here,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39winning the odd battle but losing the war, we now have a chance
0:55:39 > 0:55:43to actually strategically take on the threats to the great apes
0:55:43 > 0:55:45and that's very exciting.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49The declaration requires its signatories to reduce practices
0:55:49 > 0:55:52that are wiping out great apes and enforce laws to protect them.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58It is evident from this week's proceedings
0:55:58 > 0:56:02that strong international co-operation will be forthcoming
0:56:02 > 0:56:04to assure the long-term survival of the great apes.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08The political will is encouraging
0:56:08 > 0:56:13but the goal of securing the future of great apes in the wild by 2015
0:56:13 > 0:56:18will only be realized if all parties fulfil their promises.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23It was after returning from the historic meeting in Kinshasa
0:56:23 > 0:56:28that Ian showed us some recent footage of the mountain gorillas
0:56:28 > 0:56:31that we'd first met in Rwanda over 25 years ago.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38Oh, dear.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40- I would be... - DAVID SIGHS
0:56:40 > 0:56:44..withdrawing and doing all the submissive gestures I can think of!
0:56:44 > 0:56:47- Grunting like mad.- Yes!
0:56:47 > 0:56:49This looks like Titus now.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- Is that Titus?- Yeah.- Is it?!
0:56:52 > 0:56:54The last time we'd seen Titus,
0:56:54 > 0:56:57he was a lively, inquisitive youngster,
0:56:57 > 0:56:59but we were in for more of a shock
0:56:59 > 0:57:01when we saw what had become of young Pablo.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05Here he is, sitting on me in 1978.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10And here he is today -
0:57:10 > 0:57:14a 200 kilo dominant silverback, king of his group.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17- So that's Pablo.- That's Pablo? - That was sitting on your foot.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20- The one sitting on my feet? - Yes.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24- Good job he's not sitting on your feet now.- Quite, yes.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27And Pablo is the leader now
0:57:27 > 0:57:32of the biggest group of gorillas on record with 59 individuals.
0:57:32 > 0:57:33- 59?!- Yes.
0:57:33 > 0:57:39I mean, they're rewriting the gorilla sociology books.
0:57:39 > 0:57:44It's great news that Pablo's group has grown to record-breaking size.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48In fact, the total number of mountain gorillas in the Virungas
0:57:48 > 0:57:54has increased by 120 individuals in the last 25 years
0:57:54 > 0:57:57to a high, at the last count, of 380.
0:57:57 > 0:58:03It is now our responsibility to learn lessons from the mountain gorilla conservation story
0:58:03 > 0:58:05and help all the other great apes
0:58:05 > 0:58:08that are still so seriously endangered.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10There's a long way to go
0:58:10 > 0:58:15but we too can play our part in helping to save the great apes.
0:58:20 > 0:58:25Thanks to individuals like these, to conservation organisations,
0:58:25 > 0:58:28to communities, to governments,
0:58:28 > 0:58:31there really is hope for the mountain gorilla
0:58:31 > 0:58:33and the other great apes.
0:58:33 > 0:58:37But we continue to destroy so much of the natural world
0:58:37 > 0:58:40that danger is ever present.
0:58:40 > 0:58:42The time really has come
0:58:42 > 0:58:46to show our closest cousins that we do care.
0:58:46 > 0:58:49SPECTATORS CHEER
0:59:09 > 0:59:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2006
0:59:12 > 0:59:16E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk