Film Crew Assists Gorilla In Stopping Traffic Then Sudden Movement In Nearby Bushes Leaves Them In Disbelief

Mar 31, 2020 by apost team

For many of us, it would be thrilling to see a gorilla in real life. But for wildlife filmmaker and presenter, Gordon Buchanan, who often finds himself filming the animal, he wanted more. When the Scotsman filmed the documentary series "Gorilla Family & Me" for the BBC in 2015, he realized "his lifelong dream by gaining the trust of a family of rare Grauer's gorillas, the largest primates on Earth," as reported by IMDb.

Even though he's used to filming the primate, it's likely the wildlife filmmaker never expected to get such rare footage when he went off to the Democratic Republic of Congo back in 2015.

In the incredible video, which has since gone viral after being shared on BBC's YouTube channel in 2017, Buchanan and his camera crew found themselves on the side of a busy road on which trucks were transporting charcoal. However, also there was Chimanuka, the leader of a gorilla family and his many children.

Buchanan was aware of the large silverback gorilla who stood off to the side of the road while he scanned the area as trucks continued to drive by. The filmmaker knew that he needed to capture whatever would happen next on film. And lucky for all of us, he did.

After they noticed that Chimanuka probably wanted to cross the road with his family, the film crew and local workers stopped traffic. That's when the large gorilla came out onto the middle of the road. He stood firm and on guard as his entire family, which consisted of at least a dozen gorillas, crossed the road to safety.  

At the time, Buchanan was savvy enough to know that something was going on when he noticed the gorilla's tense look. But as time passed, he still couldn't figure out what was bothering the large primate. However, after a while, he and his crew stepped in closer to get a better look. That's when the silverback's intentions became clear. And with cameras ready and rolling, they caught the stunning sight on film.

At the beginning of the video, Buchanan explained that with all the traffic passing through, Chimanuka must have been tense because he wanted to cross the road with his family. So after 20 minutes, the film crew, along with local workers, took matters into their own hands and halted traffic on their own.

With the trucks and camera crew at a safe distance behind, the 1500 pound silverback gorilla made his bold move onto the road. Chimanuka bravely stepped into the middle of the road and stood guard, as he signaled for the rest of his family to cross. The primate had simply been on edge because he was trying to protect his family. He was worried about getting them all safely across the road, without being hit by a truck. Gorillas are naturally protective of their families. And, thankfully, this gorilla family was able to cross the road safe and sound.

The footage that Buchanan and his crew were able to capture was simply mesmerizing. The gorgeous family appeared somewhat nervous as they made their way across the road, but Chimanuka stood guard the entire time. Buchanan must have been elated when they captured that moment and he said in the video, "It's a great relief to see the whole family across the road in safety."  

apost.com

The BBC reported that Chimanuka is around 30 years old. They described him as "handsome" and revealed he has a "tear-shaped protrusion near his outer right eye." Around 2002, he was the first gorilla to be found following civil unrest in the region, and his name, Chimanuka, means “good fortune just when you need it.”

Proud of his family, which now numbers 23, including four females and 18 offspring, Chimanuka is said to have a "very calm temperament" and he's "gentle with park rangers, tourists and scientists." He's also very affectionate with his younger offspring and regularly grooms them himself. 

The Chimanuka Group is an organization that works with a Congolese organization named Primate Expertise on mountain gorilla conservation. Together they address poaching and habitat loss, which are two of the current major threats to great apes. The organization was named after Chimanuka. Its website explained that Grauer's gorilla — the kind that Chimanuka is — is the largest subspecies of the eastern gorilla. Sadly, during the violent conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the late '90s, half of the gorillas in the region were killed, and Chimanuka was one of the few silverbacks who survived.

Animal charity Born Free revealed that Chimanuka and his family live in the mountain rainforests of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. It's known for its unique biodiversity of rainforest habitat and it's where one of the last populations of eastern lowland gorillas AKA Grauer's gorillas live in the world. 

What an incredible video! Are you impressed by Chimanuka's strong desire to protect his family? Pass this on to any animal lovers in your life!