Journey with National Geographic into the heart of equatorial Africa to sit amidst swarms of sweat bees and stinging ants that would try the patience of the most dedicated biologists for an intimate view of a noble silverback and his tribe.
In the spirit of Jane Goodall’s work with chimps, National Geographic joins primatologist Magdalena Bermejo as she conducts groundbreaking research of the western lowland gorilla in its natural environment.
Gorillas are gentle, intelligent creatures with an unjustified reputation for aggression. The roaring and chest-beating of the giant male silverback presents a most intimidating spectacle, but is mostly done for effect - to ward off intruders who threaten his family group.
Deep within the dense forest of northern Congo, people are bringing the once-deserted village of Lossi back to life. In National Geographic’s Living With Gorillas, Spanish primatologist Magdalena Bermejo and her cinematographer husband, German Illera, set up camp in Lossi - the heart of primate territory.
Skilled local trackers help Bermejo and Illera look for clues in crushed leaves, half-eaten plant stems, and dung. The team is finally rewarded in an area less than two miles outside of Lossi, surrounded with ancestral eyes peering from the forest.
Bermejo focuses her study on a magnificent 350-pound male she names Apollo and his family. Magdalena and her husband, German, begin their painstaking quest - braving swarms of sweat bees and stinging ants - to get to know the gorillas.
The gorillas slowly come to trust their human visitors. The youngsters are the least shy and even start playing up to the cameras. Older females are more retiring.
Reviews:
“Western Lowland Gorillas are the ones we think we know, the ones we see in zoos. In truth, we know almost nothing about these elusive giants in the wild. In the dense forests of the Congo Basin, scientist Magdalena Bermejo teams up with local trackers to become the first to habituate and study the Western Lowland Gorillas. Brilliant storyline and great filming – must see stuff!”
“If you are interested in the process of making documentaries about gorillas and in ways of encouraging neighbouring communities to develop an environmental concern for the gorillas, then this is the film for you. Beautiful scenery and interesting people. The film basically follows two Europeans as they attempt a study of lowland gorillas. It traces their attempts to get the locals involved in their project. This in itself is interesting but it would also be great to see the follow up to learn about the gorillas.”
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