

Rurehuka’s wound on his back was small and already showing signs of healing.ĭr. All of his wounds were clean and showing signs of healing, though the more serious laceration on his head would require further assessment. Fred’s initial assessment following the intervention, dominant silverback Kakono had two large wounds on his head, one on his shoulder and one on his left wrist. Meanwhile, blackback Tindatine stayed on the periphery of the group, avoiding the fray.ĭuring Dr.

Fred’s observation, sparking bouts of loud vocalizations while they chased one another away. Second ranking silverback Rurehka and young silverback Mucunguzi attempted to move close to the three females of the group during Dr. Fred reports that the group leader, silverback Kakono, was fully in charge of the group. It was a cold, clear morning in Bwindi and the silverbacks fed from the ground while the other group members took to the trees.Įven with subordinate silverbacks recently challenging his dominance, Dr. Fred first trekked to the group with UWA rangers to assess the silverbacks’ wounds on July 14th and found the 10 members of the group calmly feeding on Mimulopsis and tree ferns in the Bubare area of the park. This month, an intra-group interaction between silverbacks Kakono and Rurehuka in Bwindi’s Bweza group occurred. The interaction left dominant silverback Kakono with two wounds on his head and second ranking silverback Rurehuka with superficial wounds on his back. Dr. Intra-Group Fight In Bwindi’s Bweza Group Leaves Silverbacks Injured But, unfortunately, it is not unusual in gorilla society.The lives of silverbacks and blackbacks are often marked by violence as male gorillas struggle to maintain power or overthrow others. It is always sad to lose a large, impressive male gorilla. In July 2011, Mukunda fought with and killed another male named Jeshi. Jeshi was a blackback at the time and he had fought with dominant silverback Kabrizi two weeks prior, but succumbed to the fatal wounds inflicted by lone silverback Mukunda.
#SILVERBACK FIGHT FULL#
With some small wounds on his right foot and hand, Mukunda seems to have incurred less trauma than Bageni from the fight, but both males should make a full recovery on their own.Ĭlose up of Mukunda’s wound on his right foot and hand. Martin reported that both males had indeed sustained injuries from the fight, but that neither wounds appeared to be life-threatening. Bageni had a large wound, about 10 cm long and 3 cm deep, on his right arm that will continue to be monitored for any signs of infection. Once both lone silverbacks were located, Dr. Martin was able to get to the silverbacks without incident. The M23 rebels are currently occupying the Mikeno sector in Virunga National Park, so working in the area can be dangerous. Martin trekked to the lone silverbacks to conduct a veterinary assessment the following day. Eddy was traveling from Kinshasha at the time, so Dr. On January 27, Gorilla Doctors received a report that lone silverbacks Mukunda and Bageni, both ranging in the Mikeno sector of Virunga National Park, had fought and both sustained potentially severe injuries. Head DRC Field Vet Dr. Docs Assess Wounds from Lone Silverback Fight in Mikeno Sectorīy Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, January 28th, 2013 in Blog.
