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A group of young gorillas amazed researchers by exhibiting a behavior never seen before in the species. According to National Geographic, gorillas at the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda were spotted disabling traps set by poachers. A tracker for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, which operates the center, spotted a primitive rope snare while combing the land for traps. Before he could dismantle the snare himself, several young gorillas approached and destroyed the trap. The speed at which the gorillas took apart the trap has researchers believing that this is a task these primates have performed several times.
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The primitive snares are achieved by creating a noose that catches an animal's limb with rope and a weighted-down tree branch. The gorillas disabled this kind of trap by breaking the supporting tree and undoing the ropes of the noose. These snares are set up by bush-meat hunters for antelopes and other small animals, but gorillas can become stuck in them as well.
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Young gorillas are the most at risk when it come to snare-related injuries or death. While most of the adult primates can struggle out the ropes, younger gorillas are sometimes too weak to do so. The Karisoke Research Center lost one of their young gorillas, Ngwino, to a snare just last week. It was the second trap-related death at the center this year.
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Ngwino was found roaming the expansive ground of the center with critical injuries and a snare rope still stuck to her leg. The staff believes that she was in this condition for several days before they found her.
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The staff tried everything they could to save the young gorilla, including on-site surgery, but unfortunately they found Ngwino too late.
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The center was alerted to a pontential problem involving Ngwino when she went missing from the group of gorillas. Employess also spotted the young primate with the snare rope still tied to her leg at least once before they were able to get a hold of her.
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Another young gorilla that has encountered a snare is Akarusho. The center's staff found him caught in one of the contraptions, but was able to free and heal him. The tiny primate has had a rough year. His mother abandoned him by leaving the group. Luckily, one of the other gorillas stepped up to provide care.
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Next: Jane Goodall Talks Saving Primates
Recently, the efforts of hunters to catch animals has increased, which means more gorillas are suffering from snare injuries. The center has bolstered their trap search parties to try to prevent any more damage to their beloved animals.
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28 Comments
That's cool that the gorillas are learning to disable the traps.....Sad that poachers are trapping them....Maybe with time the gorillas will learn to kill the poachers...These are very endangered animals not to mention they are just wonderful as are all animals...
July 21 2012 at 12:24 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down Replythis is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.....i feel no sympathy for hunters who set traps, even if it is for food. it is one of the cruelest ways to hunt animals as they are left to suffer in agony terrified and/or wounded until the scumbag hunter returns. thinking about these gorillas disabling these traps fills me both joy at their ingenuity and empathy, and sorrow that they are forced to do this to protect themselves.
July 20 2012 at 9:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI think a lot of people here are missing the fact that these traps are not set up for gorillas. They're set up for smaller animals. It just so happens that gorillas can get caught in the trap. These people aren't evil. They just need to learn a better way of hunting and surviving that doesn't hurt the gorillas.
July 20 2012 at 2:27 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYou are missing the fact that these traps are harming the gorilla population, regardless of their intent, and the people setting the traps know this and yet they keep setting these traps. Which is indeed evil. Do you always think backwards?
July 20 2012 at 4:34 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyPoaching is always evil.
July 20 2012 at 4:35 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyno, it's better to capture the poachers and then feed them alive to the animals.
July 20 2012 at 2:06 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyPeople need to eat. I get it. But if the African peoples need food, send them food. Send them money. These gorillas are majestic beyond man's cruelty and must be protected.
July 20 2012 at 2:01 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyPoachers need to know that there's not that many gorillas left and once they are all gone there won't be any more of them. Gorillas need to be saved, there are too many animals that are already extinct and nothing can bring them back. Poachers should be helping to protect those animals and not harm them or kill them. There is not enough money in the world, worth the life of any animal that is near extinction. There is other ways for poachers to make money and killing animals is not one of them. People need to stop paying those poachers for killing animals. Gorillas have the right to live, leave them alone.
July 20 2012 at 12:48 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyBetter it was disabled than harm a gorilla..wonder if this gorilla pased the word on how to disable.animals r not dumb
July 20 2012 at 12:21 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyAnimals are smarter than people give them credit for......
July 19 2012 at 11:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyPoachers ought to be shot! They are the scum of the earth and don't deserve to live!
July 19 2012 at 11:57 PM Report abuse Permalink +2 rate up rate down ReplyAs awesome as this story is, it also makes me very sad because people are so quick to dismiss the suffering that animals have to endure at the hands of greedy, selfish humans. This is just further evidence that animals do think, feel, suffer, and are even able to feel empathy....a concept which is "foreign" to far too many humans.
July 19 2012 at 10:15 PM Report abuse Permalink +3 rate up rate down Reply