July 07, 2025 | Bujo Safaris
How to react or act when a silverback approaches you
How to react or act when a silverback approaches you. Many of you, yes! You, our most beloved tourists or visitors, happen not to know how to react or act when a silverback (a leader of the Mountain gorilla group) approaches you during the Mountain Gorilla habituation or Mountain Gorilla trekking activity. And now you are wondering what the difference is between gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation. Well, Mountain Gorilla trekking is a tourist activity which involves tourists, with the help of guides and game rangers, to search for the endangered gorillas in their natural habitat. When found, tourists are given not more than 1 hour to spend in the presence of these gentle giants (gorillas). And on the other side, Mountain Gorilla habituation is a tourist activity which involves tourists, with the help of tour guides, to search for mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, and on finding a mountain gorilla family, tourists or visitors get to spend more than an hour in the presence of these endangered species.
What is a silverback?
A silverback is a male 12-year-old mountain gorilla that grows a distinctive silver or grey saddle on its back. A silverback is also the leader and protector of a mountain gorilla group or troop. Silverback gorillas as leaders play the role of protecting the gorilla group, making decisions about movements, mating in the group, and settling conflicts within the group.
What do silverbacks eat?
Silverbacks, just like the rest of the mountain gorillas, eat more of the vegetation, stems, roots, and sometimes insects like termites.
How long can silverbacks live?
Silverbacks have a life span or can live up to approximately 40 years while in the wild and approximately 50 when in captivity, if well taken care of.
Where can I see silverbacks?
Silverbacks are found in dense forest countries of East Africa, specifically in Uganda, which happens to have half the population of mountain gorillas and silverbacks in the whole world, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Are you a tourist or visitor planning or preparing for either a mountain gorilla trek or a mountain gorilla habituation experience? Here is what you need to do or act when a silverback approaches you.
- When a mountain gorilla or silverback charges or approaches you, the first thing you need to do is to stop with whatever you are doing and stay calm.
- After doing the above, you will then gently have to crouch down to show the silverback or mountain gorilla that you are less imposing, which can help to look less imposing to it.
- While down, you should probably avoid direct eye contact with the silverback or mountain gorilla because mountain gorillas communicate using eye contact, and if you stare directly in its eyes for a long time may be interpreted as a challenge, mostly in the case of the silverbacks. To avoid direct eye contact with the mountain gorillas or the silverback, you should look away in different directions from their eyes during both mountain gorilla trekking and habituation activities, or you can look down since this gesture shows respect to silverbacks and mountain gorillas to ensure peaceful encounters.
- Do not run, no matter what, because with this gesture, you will be triggering the mountain gorilla or silverback to go after you, which may cause you injuries in the end.
- If you need to step away, you should do it slowly and make sure to keep your body as low as possible.
- Naturally, mountain gorillas are gentle and love quiet environments, which is one of the reasons they love living deep in the forests. So, you should avoid making noise around them and any action that may be interpreted as aggressive or challenging to the silverback or mountain gorilla, such as standing tall and making noise.
- Avoid any interactions but observe. When you see a mountain gorilla or silverback, you should not interrupt it, let it approach you on its terms, and you should very much avoid touching it.
- In case a mountain gorilla or silverback shows signs of charging towards you, which is a very rare case, if you do what you are told to do by your tour guides, then be ready to remain crouched for some time until it sees you as no threat anymore or until when the guides and rangers come to your rescue.
To avoid being under the threat of being attacked by a silverback or mountain gorilla, you should follow the dos and don’ts or guidelines for mountain gorilla trekking and mountain gorilla habituation, which are always given to tourists or visitors at the beginning of each gorilla activity. Some of the dos and don’ts or guidelines
- Do not litter in the forest, especially when it comes to plastics. This is why you are advised to carry along a refillable drinking water bottle when going on either mountain gorilla trekking or habituation.
- Avoid making unnecessary noise and keep your voices as low as possible during either of the gorilla activities.
- Do not put on clothes or carry anything that has shouting colors, most especially the colour red. You should dress or carry things with neutral or earth colours.
- Always keep in line or stay close to the game rangers and the tour guides during either mountain gorilla trekking or mountain gorilla habituation.
- When you are with the mountain gorillas, you are asked to keep a safe distance of approximately 7 meters (21 feet) away from them. This is to ensure your safety and to protect mountain gorillas from human diseases since they can easily get affected by them.
- Always stay in a tight group or together while in the presence of mountain gorillas for your good
- Do not drink or eat while in the presence of mountain gorillas to avoid transmission of diseases and any form of attention from mountain gorillas.
- Avoid flash photography for those interested in taking photos of the mountain gorillas flash tends to trigger mountain gorillas, and using flash cameras is highly prohibited and a punishable offence.
- Always listen to what your guides and game rangers tell you to do, and also, before doing anything, you should first ask for permission from your tour guides or game rangers.
In conclusion, silverbacks and mountain gorillas are very gentle and endangered species found in both Maghinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National park that love peace, so the cases of them attacking tourists or visitors are very rare since they are first taken through the process of habituation, where they learn to associate or be around human beings and not see them as threats. So, it will be up to you to listen and do as you are told by the game rangers and guides (guidelines) so that you have a good time or experience.
