What Makes Kuryama Gorilla Family Unique? Migrating Gorilla Family
The Kuryama gorilla family is famous for its migratory behavior from the Volcanoes National Park in Northwestern Rwanda to Virunga National Park in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and back to Rwanda. The critically endangered mountain gorilla habitat is only restricted to conservation areas in 2 (two) areas in Africa.
One population of these Great apes takes 45 percent and thrives in the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Southwestern Uganda and the other makes up the 55% and mainly concentrated in 3 (three) protected areas of the Great Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and the Rwanda Volcanoes National Park.
What is interesting about these impressive creatures is that they have no boundaries and at times they are sighted crossing from one park to another. A vivid example on this is the Kuryama’s family, a troop that has spent about 2 (tw0) recent periods in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Size of Kuryama gorilla family
It comprised of 8 (eight) months from 2014 to 2015 and a repeat of this migratory characters was experienced from 2015 to 30th September 2016 when this troop was sighted on the top of Mount Bisoke. The last movement to the Democratic Republic of Congo led to change in their population and dynamics with 4 (four) original group members missing. Of recent, the troop comprised of eight individuals between the age group of 3 silverbacks, 2 black backs, 1 juvenile, 1 adult female-Mahirwe and 1 infant of Mahirwe.
Prior migrating to the Virunga National Park in DR Congo, the Kuryama gorilla family had already encountered several challenges. This troop was previously led by Kuryama silverback that was wounded during the flight and later passed on around 2012. When Kuryama died, he was succeeded by Kirahure silverback that also passed on after being wounded in 2015.
The leadership of this gorilla family was then left to a 22 year old silverback “Vuba,” that led their group over the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo in October 2015. Vuba silverback also faced with the similar hardships of unbalanced sex ratio that his father Titus encountered. He seemed to be respected by the rest of male members in the troop and they are not intimidated by him.
Unfortunately, on 27th September 2017, Vuba was in critical condition and later he also passed on. He had the support of 2 younger silverbacks in the family, the 14 year old Igihozo and the 13 year old Tetero who are no left with the biggest task of managing the troop. The presence of these two is of a great advantage for this family and may help it thrive cohesively. With the loss of Vuba, the troop consists of only 7 individuals making it one of the unusual gorilla troops in away that there is only one mature adult female.
Vuba portrayed calm characters like that of his father Titus who also once led a family that comprised of all males and one (1) female. Titus was born on 24th August 1974 and named by gorilla researcher Kelly Stewert who followed his family at that time. At four years, a black back male gorilla joined his family and named Beetsme by Dian Fossey.
After a short while, Titus father and the dominant silverback uncle Bert was murdered by poachers. Beetsme tried to take over the group, murdering the infant daughter of its dominant female aunt Flossie but the black back was rejected and the females left. Titus and Beetsme who seemed to have made a strong bond then turned the nucleus of an unstable bachelor family.
The group was without females for a period of 8 years during which time they were sighted engaging in homosexual behavior. When the five females joined the family, Beetsme then the fully blackback drove off the rest of males except Titus and became its dominant male. Titus at the time when he was a blackback remained subordinate to Beetsme for 6 years.
At this period, he mated covertly with the group’s females. The DNA analysis indicates that he sired his first offspring-Kuryama by the family’s dominant female papoose in 1985 that turned to be the youngest recorded siring by a gorilla. In 1991, he matured to silverback; Titus started asserting his dominance over the rest of the male gorillas in the family and a year after, aged 18, he chased Beetsme as the dominant male and made him a subordinate till his death in 2001.
Titus sired many children compared to rest of mountain gorillas on record and by 2004 led the biggest known gorilla group in the entire world. By 30 years, his dominance was waning and he started regularly fighting with his silverback son Kuryama. He was sighted biting a female gorilla after she was caught with Kuryama in secret.
This was something odd with Titus’ calm leadership style in the last years. By 2007, Titus took his group to the peak of the Volcanic Mountain. The low temperature at that altitude threatened the younger individuals of the family and as Titus lingered there, Kuryama made a bid for dominance.
He successfully chased Titus and then led the largest number of members in the group including most of the sexually mature female gorillas and their young ones, away from the mountain. Titus never resisted but wasn’t interest in giving up his dominant position and so the group was broken. Titus was therefore left with older females including the dominant female Tuck and their infants.
In conclusion, mountain gorillas are wild animals and this means that, they can move from one point to another. For Kuryama group, it is not yet certain whether its member will remain in Volcanoes National Park or will again move again given the continuous challenges that they have faced since.