Going Ape

The brilliant British broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough inspired me on at least two counts.

Back in 1956, the intrepid explorer was the first to film the Komodo dragons in a classic black and white documentary. Intrigued, even back in 1992 my journey to Komodo Island was fairly intrepid. Then again in 2006 i headed to see the dragons this time on neighbouring Rinca Island on The Beast’s maiden adventure.

For Attenborough’s Life on Earth BBC TV series in 1979, he visited Dian Fossey’s research station in Rwanda to encounter the desperately rare Mountain Gorillas. For a man who has travelled the World and born witness to so many of nature’s wonders, the encounter completely blows him away. Facing the cameras with a silverback in the background, Attenborough barely contains the tears of such an emotional experience as words fail him as he endeavours to relay the experience. Sometimes words are just not necessary.

I can’t resist such an experience.

Now in his 90s Sir David continues his prolific output. He is currently recording in Antarctica.

A visit to an orang-utan sanctuary in Bukit Lawang, Northern Sumatra in the mid-1990s was a truly remarkable experience, even though these wonderful apes are our most distant ape relatives. A Mountain Gorilla is a 98.6% DNA match to us homo sapiens. A permit to visit them in Parc National Des Volcans now costs US$500 for a strictly timed one hour encounter. Yet i have never heard anyone regret such an outlay. I have been warned that this will cost US$1,000 in 2011 so i tell myself i am in for a 50% discount!

The Mountain Gorilla tracking permits make up 40% of Rwanda's GNP.