Gorillas Seen Destroying and Dismantling Poachers' Snares In Rwanda
43 replies, posted
[img]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/699904/thumbs/o-GORILLAS-SMASH-SNARES-570.jpg?4[/img]
[B]One of the young gorillas destroying a snare[/B]
[quote]Poachers’ snares pose one of the biggest threats to mountain gorilla populations according to campaigners – and it seems that the gorillas themselves have worked this out, because they’ve been observed dismantling traps.
Field staff of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda report that on Monday they saw several young gorillas destroying snares – which maim and often kill gorillas – with their bare hands.
“We knew that gorillas do this but all of the reported cases in the past were carried out by adult gorillas, mostly silverbacks,” said Veronica Vecellio, gorilla program coordinator at the Karisoke Research Center.
“Today, two juveniles and one blackback worked together to deactivate two snares and how they did it demonstrated an impressive cognitive skill.”
Dian Fossey staff explained that just two days previously a juvenile called Ngwino was caught in a snare with the rope making severe cuts into her leg, resulting in gangrene.
She also dislocated her shoulder as she desperately tried to escape.
Fossey Fund staff intervened with vets from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project but were unable to save her.
Hers is the second death this year resulting from a gorilla being caught in a poacher’s snare.
John Ndayambaje, Fossey Fund field data coordinator, reported that he saw one snare very close to the group.
Since the gorillas were moving in that direction, he decided to deactivate it.
A silverback called Vuba pig-grunted at him - a vocalisation of warning - and at the same time juveniles called Dukore and Rwema together with a blackback called Tetero ran toward the snare and together pulled the branch used to hold the rope.
They saw another snare nearby and as quickly as before they destroyed the second branch and pulled the rope out of the ground.
Four other snares were also removed by Dian Fossey trackers in the same area.
“Our battle to detect and destroy snares from the park is far from over, however, and the recent death of Ngwino, has given us all further motivation. Today we can proudly confirm that gorillas are doing their part too,” said Felix Ndagijimana, director of the Karisoke Center.[/quote]
[img]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/699894/thumbs/o-GORILLAS-DESTROYING-SNARES-570.jpg?4[/img]
[B]Experts said the gorillas showed amazing intelligence[/B]
[url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/24/gorillas-seen-destroying-snares-in-rwanda_n_1698183.html]Source[/Url]
Planet of the Apes was a prophecy! If only we'd heeded the warning...
fuck poachers, seriously. brutalizing these creatures is an awful thing to do.
Next we'll have gorillas setting up snares to catch poachers.
[QUOTE=elowin;36920380]Next we'll have gorillas setting up snares to catch poachers.[/QUOTE]
That would be awesome.
Gorilla Warfare
They're learning. :tinfoil:
[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;36920467]They're learning. :tinfoil:[/QUOTE]
Lets throw them some firearms and see where this goes.
They're actually showing their kids how to dismantle the traps, that's fucking awesome.
Whilst this is awesome, I really shouldn't be surprised. I mean, seriously; they're great apes, some of the smartest creatures on Earth asides from humans. Shouldn't be surprising that they're advancing technologically; when a species becomes sapient and able to create technology, memetics becomes more of a species-defining thing than genetics, and evolves over a much smaller timeframe. (memetics being the mental equivalent of genetics, based around ideas and concepts)
But if one group invented spears, or even a bow and arrow, THEN i'd be super impressed. I'm already impressed by their trap-defusing skills, but if they could craft things like weapons, fishing rods, houses, writing, etc, then i'd be absolutely amazed and awestruck.
why poach gorillas? I don't see what could be considered valuable.
[QUOTE=Lemonator;36920729]why poach gorillas? I don't see what could be considered valuable.[/QUOTE]
To keep the body as a trophy, for their pelt, their meat, to sell live for private ownership, etc.
In some places you can even buy Gorilla hands made into an ashtray for a souvenir.
[QUOTE=Lemonator;36920729]why poach gorillas? I don't see what could be considered valuable.[/QUOTE]
Their pelts are highly valuable, clean their fur up and it looks shiny and very good.
At least I think
Probably that god-awful bushmeat trade. Just ain't kosher i'll tell ya what; they're super-smart creatures, possibly close to sapience if not already past that threshold, so eating their would be a terrible abhorrence similar in nature to cannibalism but not exactly. (i've heard that certain groups of gorillas engage in cannibalism, or was it chimpanzees?)
[QUOTE=Lemonator;36920729]why poach gorillas? I don't see what could be considered valuable.[/QUOTE]
Ass backwards myths and cultures.
This must be said in every single poacher thread:
Let's Poach Poachers.
Later, a poacher was discovered beaten and caught in some crudely reconstructed trap. Carved into the mans chest were the words 'THIS IS A WARNING'. More at eleven.
they are growing so smarter that even if entire world watched the movie, we wouldnt know how to do....
luckily were safe in the internet :-)
One gorilla is fluent in US sign language. Really gets amazing at around pt 3
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmuu8UEi2ko[/media]
Gorilla poachers really rustle my jimmies
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Meme reply" - Craptasket))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=ironman17;36920777]Probably that god-awful bushmeat trade. Just ain't kosher i'll tell ya what; they're super-smart creatures, possibly close to sapience if not already past that threshold, so eating their would be a terrible abhorrence similar in nature to cannibalism but not exactly. (i've heard that certain groups of gorillas engage in cannibalism, or was it chimpanzees?)[/QUOTE]
I think a video we watched in science class this year showed two groups of Chimpanzees getting in a huge fight and I believe they ate the dead ones.
[QUOTE=Super Muffin;36920535]Lets throw them some firearms and see where this goes.[/QUOTE]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXcnlie9k8w[/media]
?
[QUOTE=S31-Syntax;36921178][img]http://schoolworkhelper.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Michael-Crichton-Congo.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
That was one of my favourite books. Basically anything by Michael Crichton is great though.
[QUOTE=ironman17;36920671]Whilst this is awesome, I really shouldn't be surprised. I mean, seriously; they're great apes, some of the smartest creatures on Earth asides from humans. Shouldn't be surprising that they're advancing technologically; when a species becomes sapient and able to create technology, memetics becomes more of a species-defining thing than genetics, and evolves over a much smaller timeframe. (memetics being the mental equivalent of genetics, based around ideas and concepts)
But if one group invented spears, or even a bow and arrow, THEN i'd be super impressed. I'm already impressed by their trap-defusing skills, but if they could craft things like weapons, fishing rods, houses, writing, etc, then i'd be absolutely amazed and awestruck.[/QUOTE]
Actually there's a subspecies of chimps that use spears. Well, more like small sharpened sticks but they use them to hunt and kill Bushbabies that have hidden away for the day. One scientist said it was like watching that one famous shower stabbing scene from Psycho.
I thought the title only said "Gorillas Seen Destroying and Dismantling Poachers" Needless to say, I am only slightly disappointed.
I had a massive fucking brainfart and for a second thought the band Gorillaz were doing some kind of anti-poaching movement.
[IMG]http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTJSQxGcIC0AJ0ZAxVG26cFUKLIFA1Nn1bXywHqQmRjos8U62JFgf41cZFRYg[/IMG]
Well. I for one embrace our new Primate overlords! May we prosper under their rule!
I'd be awesome if there was some vigilante gorilla group who went and set up traps around the poachers' cars so when the poachers returned they'd get fucked.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
