Travelers Take Note

All good travel tour companies send out introductory material to help their clients prepare for the trip - mentally as well as physically. These are some excerpts from the material that I received that appear to be important.
The (parenthesis) are mine to summarize:

(WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T DRINK THE WATER)
"If you are on your own after our safari, please follow the guidelines the CDC has prepared for travel in developing countries. BOIL IT, COOK IT, PEEL IT, OR FORGET IT!
We provide plenty of good drinking water. Sometimes hotel or lodge rooms will be supplied with a pitcher of water, which you will be told is safe to drink. Please check with us before using it. Never, never, never drink the tap water anywhere!"

(WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T RUN)
"Sometimes the gorillas charge. Follow the guides example- crouch down slowly, DO NOT look at the gorillas directly in the eyes, wait for the animals to pass. DO NOT attempt to run away. Running away will increase the risk."

(WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T SCREAM)
"Visitors should be as quiet as possible, and whisper. If bitten by Safari ants or struck by stinging nettle, do not scream.
REASON: To minimize behavioral disturbance and avoid frightening and avoid frightening gorillas. Newly habituated gorillas may be afraid to come anywhere near noisy tourists, and if gorillas are already present, they may leave."

(IT IS NOT POLITE TO POINT)
"Body language is important, and visitors should not raise hands or arms, or point, nor stare at them."

(PRE-MUDDIED CLOTHING RECOMMENDED)
"Whichever family group you visit, you may have to walk a long distance in steep, muddy conditions, possibly with rain overhead, before you encounter any gorillas. Put on your sturdiest shoes. Ideally, wear thick trousers ad long sleeved top as to protect against vicious stinging nettles. It’s often cold when you set out, so start out with a sweatshirt or jersey [which also help protect against nettles]. Whatever clothes you wear to go tracking are likely to get very dirty you slip and slither in the mud, so if you have pre-muddied clothes you might as well wear them. When you are grabbing for handholds in thorny vegetation, a pair of old gardening gloves are helpful."

The Death of Titus

 

Before departing I have been browsing information related to the Mountain Gorillas. I discovered a great love and respect, which is a good thing indeed. In particular I was struck with the emotions regarding the recent death of Titus, who was a well known silverback in Rwanda. The Dian Fossey website and BBC contain articles written as obituaries which personalized his life and gave me a chill. 

Titus


The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
http://www.gorillafund.org/

BBC Article About the Death of Titus
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8257250.stm

Rwanda - Gorilla Naming Organization
http://www.kwitizina.org/

Uganda - New Gorilla Support Website (Gorillas on FACEBOOK?!?)
http://www.friendagorilla.org/

Wildlife Direct – for all Endangered Species
http://wildlifedirect.org/?version=fresh