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In the heart of Africa,
straddling the borders of Rwanda,
Uganda and Congo

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lies a remarkable mountain kingdom.

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It's home to the world's
last 700 mountain gorillas.

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For over 50 years,
they've been caught in the crossfire

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of a brutal civil war, fuelled by
an ever-increasing human population.

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Yet still they survive,
under constant surveillance

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from a dedicated group of people.

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A species in intensive care.

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Our cameras have been given
privileged access

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to these amazing animals,
revealing their secret lives.

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We'll experience the challenge of
keeping an extended family together,

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the joy of growing up wild
in a rainforest playground,

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the love of a father
for his abandoned child.

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And above all,

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the extraordinary battle to save
one of our closest relatives.

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For a million years,
the Virunga Volcanoes

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have dominated the heart of Africa.

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A volatile presence
in a volatile region.

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On their lush slopes, nourished
with centuries of volcanic ash,

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lives the world's largest single
population of mountain gorillas.

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Since Dian Fossey started
her pioneering research

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here in Rwanda over 40 years ago,

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they've become one of the planet's
most cherished animal communities.

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April is a dangerous month
in the Rwandan Virungas.

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The long rains arrive,
and the gorillas head down

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into the bamboo zone on the
very edge of their protected area.

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It can be a perilous journey.

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The bamboo contains illegal snares
set for forest antelope and pigs,

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but potentially lethal for gorillas.

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It's a worrying time for research
scientist Felix Ndagijimana,

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who has trekked through the mist
to a height of 4,000m.

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(GRUNTING)

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Continuing Fossey's work,
Felix watches and records

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every detail of the gorillas' lives
so they can be
effectively protected.

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Today he's on the trail of
silverback patriarch Cantsbee...

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..the leader of the biggest
gorilla family in the world.

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This 46-strong group contains
female consorts, junior silverbacks,

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adolescent blackbacks...

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...and a tiny newborn baby,

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just hours old.

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At 32, Cantsbee is one of the most
successful silverbacks recorded

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since the research programme
started in 1967.

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He was even named by Dian herself.

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Everybody thought that Puck,
the mother of Cantsbee, was male

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until the day she gave birth.

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And when they told Dian Fossey,
she said, "It can't be."

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So, from that day on,
the name of the infant - Cantsbee.

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Three decades on,
the bloodline continues.

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THUNDER

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The clouds are building.

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Soon Felix will follow the family
on the difficult journey

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down the slopes towards the bamboo,
recording every move they make.

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This privileged insight
into their world is possible

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only because of Fossey's
pioneering work with a process
known as habituation,

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in which humans spend
more and more time with the gorillas

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until they're completely accepted.

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40km north of the Virungas lies
Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

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It's home to the rest of
the world's mountain gorillas...

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..and to a scientist carrying
the work of Dian Fossey
into new territory...

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...American Martha Robbins.

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Bwindi contains only
300 mountain gorillas,

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and there are another 380, 400
in the Virunga Volcanoes.

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We could put the entire population
of Bwindi onto a jumbo jet.

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It might be difficult
to get them onto a jet, but...

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And when you think about
how few there are,

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every birth really does matter,
and every gorilla is very important

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to maintaining this very unique,
special population.

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Like Fossey in Rwanda,
Martha has carefully habituated

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mountain gorillas to her presence.

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Now, after a dozen painstaking year

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the 14 animals in her research group
trust her completely.

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At the moment,
she's particularly interested

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in a 15-year-old junior silverback,
Marembo,

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an ape at a crossroads in his life.

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Marembo's really at that age
where he needs to start being

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a big, mature silverback,
but at the same time,
he still likes to play.

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One of the things that's really nice
when you see gorillas

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of very different age playing

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is that the older ones
really temper themselves down.

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They'll play quite gently
with the younger individuals.

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Marembo isn't a child any more.

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For several weeks, he's been
spending more and more time alone.

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He seems ready to break from his
family and try life on his own.

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But it's a big decision.

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And like a human teenager
leaving home for the first time,

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he feels torn.

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The Rwandan town of Ruhengeri
at the foot of the Virunga Volcanoes

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is the centre for all gorilla
operations.

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The National Park headquarters
is here.

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And the Karisoke Study Center...

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..a hive of activity for trackers,
field staff

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and research scientists like Felix.

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It's also the headquarters of
the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary
Project...

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..a team of skilled specialists
closely monitoring

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the health of every known gorilla.

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Their work extends
across the three countries

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that share the world's
last 700 mountain gorillas.

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On the Rwandan side, the biggest
priority is little Umoja.

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She's a small three-year-old female

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and never strays far from
her father, Kwitonda,

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one of the oldest silverbacks
in the National Park.

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It's a touching relationship,

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but the youngster's life
hasn't been easy.

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Recently, as Kwitonda tried
to prevent a rival male
from stealing his females,

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Umoja was caught in the crossfire
and badly injured.

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Her life was saved only by the time
intervention of vet Magda Braum.

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Here was Umoja,
with a badly injured wrist,

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and intestines
are hanging out of her tummy.

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She was bitten
and she was thrown high in the air,

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fell down, was bitten again.

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So they were pretty sure
that she was dead.

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Magda operated on the spot,
and Umoja was returned to her
mother,

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who gently nursed her
back to a fragile health.

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Because what we've done
was important, but I think

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without what she has done, there was
absolutely no chance of surviving.

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But this wasn't
the end of Umoja's problems.

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Before she'd completely recovered,

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her mother deserted the group
for a rival silverback...

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..leaving Kwitonda as
Umoja's sole carer.

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A female gorilla would normally
give round-the-clock care

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to her offspring
for up to five years.

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This is a big job for the male.

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The gorilla vets
and the National Park team

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are now keeping an intense watch on
the abandoned infant and her father.

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They know that as the rains arrive
and the nights become colder,

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she'll miss the warmth of her mother

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In the Virungas of Rwanda,
the world's largest
group of mountain gorillas,

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led by silverback Cantsbee,
are heading down the volcano

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towards the bamboo zone
on the edge of their protected area.

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As the clouds roll in,
it will bring rain, prompting
fresh shoots on the bamboo.

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But there are dangers here.

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Beyond the bamboo is the most
densely populated area in Africa,

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with an average of 350 people
per square kilometre.

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The gorillas are
encircled by humanity.

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The two forest islands
of Bwindi and the Virungas

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are under enormous pressure.

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When the gorillas
get close to people,
they're exposed to human diseases...

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..and the risk of being caught
in an illegal snare.

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Gorillas go to the bamboo zone
twice a year,

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at the beginning of the rainy
seasons, so in April and in December.

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So this is when they leave
other areas where they range

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to feed on the bamboo, which
is one of their favourite foods.

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The gorilla patriarch
must be careful.

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The danger from
undetected snares is high.

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With 46 gorillas to protect,
he's got a tough job on his hands.

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He has support
from four junior silverbacks...

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..and eight feisty
younger blackback males...

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GORILLAS SCREAM

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..not all of whom can be trusted.

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This young blackback
is breaking the rules.

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It's a privilege normally reserved
for the dominant silverback.

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But Cantsbee needs
to reward his lieutenants,

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and sex is a powerful incentive

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to keep them in line
and the group together.

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The dominant silverback needs
to concentrate on the dangers

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from the outside world.

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The family are entering the bamboo
zone...

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..and they have company.

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Fortunately, in this case
it's the National Park's
anti-poaching patrol,

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acting on a tip-off that snares
have been set in this area.

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Most of the snares are actually found
in the bamboo.

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They are very, very difficult
to spot.

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They have to, you know,
look very carefully
to find these snares.

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We destroy around
1,000 snares each year.

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People come in the forest
and set snares for other animals,

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for buffaloes, for antelopes,
but gorillas end up getting
caught in those snares.

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Poaching has always been
a problem in the Virungas.

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In 1977, Dian Fossey's favourite
gorilla, Digit,

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was murdered and decapitated
by poachers as he tried
to defend his family.

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Things have improved since then,
but poaching is still a big problem.

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In Uganda, teenage silverback Marembo
and most of his group

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have moved into the trees.

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Unlike their cousins
40km away in Rwanda,

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these gorillas spend
a lot of time up here,

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and it's where they find
much of their food.

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That means climbing is an
important skill to master.

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Junior silverback Marembo
is on the edge of the family,

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his eyes fixed on the dominant male.

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In a group of this size,
there's only room for one leader...

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..and a teenager can feel
increasingly marginalised.

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Males have sort of two
strategies as to how to become
the leader of the group.

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They can either leave the group
and become a solitary male

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and try to attract females
and form their own group,
or they'll try to become

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dominant from within the group,
where slowly, over time,

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they'll try to outrank
the dominant male.

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Mating rights are monopolised
by the dominant silverback...

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...and since the leader has
no real need for him in the group,

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Marembo isn't permitted access
to receptive females.

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(It's quite likely they'll mate
maybe once every hour,

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(once every hour and a half,
two hours, today.)

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If the junior silverback
wants to pass on his genes,

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his best option is to leave.

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In Rwanda, abandoned infant Umoja
stays close to her father, Kwitonda.

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Since her mother left the group
for another male,

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she's become completely dependent
on her remaining parent.

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Kwitonda is an experienced
silverback,

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but he's relatively new to Rwanda,
having crossed the border from Congo

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with his family six years ago.

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The land he left behind has seen
much strife for gorillas and people.

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In 2007, a gorilla family
was brutally murdered here...

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...their deaths almost certainly
a result of the fierce competition

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for the forest's precious resources.

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Many of Kwitonda's family
bear the scars of war.

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Missing fingers and limbs are the
legacy of a time spent in a forest

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bristling with snares.

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But at the moment, the main
concern for the silverback -

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and for the veterinary team
that monitors her -
is three-year-old Umoja.

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An infant of this age
should be with her mother.

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Almost every life skill needed
to survive in the forest

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is taught by females in an education
lasting at least five years.

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A three-year-old should also keep
a close physical connection

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with its mother,
who will shield it from the extremes
of the Virungas' weather.

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The quality of her father's childcare

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could make the difference
between life and death for Umoja.

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A storm is brewing above
the Virunga Volcanoes in Rwanda.

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It can rain here at any time,

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but from February to May,
it pours almost every day.

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On the lower slopes of the volcanoes
the stands of bamboo

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are already producing new shoots.

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Cantsbee must remain vigilant.

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His 46-strong family is within metres
of the park border

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and in danger from illegal snares.

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For now, though, he eats.

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It's something a gorilla needs to do
for at least five hours a day.

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Bamboo on its own
is too rich for gorillas.

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They need to mix it with other plan
or they'll get diarrhoea.

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Bindweed is another popular delicacy

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Cantsbee rolls it into a neat wrap
before tucking in.

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But this is a surprisingly
tricky skill to master.

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CHOKES

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You must remember to keep
the sticky bits on the inside.

232
00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:43,080
It's five in the afternoon,
and the temperature's dropping fast.

233
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:47,200
The weather is closing in.

234
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,480
Adult gorillas rely
on their shaggy coats

235
00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,200
to keep them warm
in the damp high altitude.

236
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,480
But infants need a mother's embrace,

237
00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,840
and that's one thing
three-year-old Umoja doesn't have.

238
00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:18,280
Since her mother left,
she's been in the sole care
of her father, Kwitonda.

239
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:25,440
But the park's veterinary team
are still very concerned.

240
00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,920
The pair are under constant
surveillance.

241
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,080
Mountain gorillas care
for other family members

242
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,720
in an extraordinarily loving way.

243
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:55,480
The bonds between
dominant males and their offspring

244
00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,880
are the most powerful of all,
and a mature silverback

245
00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,200
will go to incredible lengths
to protect his genetic future.

246
00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:11,800
Now Umoja must survive
the first stormy night
of the rainy season alone.

247
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:16,640
At three years old,

248
00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:21,040
Umoja should be getting lessons
in nest-building from her mother.

249
00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:34,040
But since she left, only Kwitonda
has been able to help her.

250
00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:55,800
For the older,
more accomplished gorillas,

251
00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:00,680
branches are folded over to make
fresh springy beds in the trees.

252
00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,520
This gets them away
from the cold ground

253
00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:05,560
and puts a whole range of foods
within reach

254
00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,760
in case they get hungry in the nigh

255
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:18,560
But it's a skill
Umoja's father can't pass on.

256
00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:22,480
He's too heavy for the trees
and nests on the ground.

257
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:34,360
THUNDER

258
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,840
While the other infants
snuggle up to their mothers,

259
00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:43,480
Umoja struggles to complete
a nest of her own.

260
00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:51,440
As the storm approaches
and the light fades,

261
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:54,720
Umoja is ill-equipped
for the harsh weather.

262
00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,520
THUNDER

263
00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:15,840
This is no night for a three-year-o
gorilla to be sleeping alone.

264
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:57,080
The rains have
also arrived in Uganda,

265
00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:01,920
where scientist Martha Robbins
has noted a significant development.

266
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,920
Young silverback Marembo
has vanished.

267
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:21,640
He's made the brave decision
to break with his family
and strike out on his own.

268
00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:20,760
A new day dawns
clear and bright in Rwanda.

269
00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:53,680
It's 6am, and the veterinary team

270
00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:59,160
is making its way back
towards the spot where Kwitonda's
group spent the night.

271
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:03,800
The whole team is worried about
his motherless daughter, Umoja.

272
00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:14,400
Gorillas often wake late
during the rainy season.

273
00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:19,680
All around, mothers and their infants
emerge from their nests.

274
00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,680
But there's no sign of Umoja.

275
00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:28,880
GRUNTING

276
00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:35,400
Her silverback father, Kwitonda,
is one of the last to wake.

277
00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:39,560
His huge bulk has kept him warm
through the long, wet night,

278
00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:43,200
and he seems reluctant
to leave the leafy nest.

279
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:47,280
He's not alone.

280
00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:55,840
Umoja is at his side.

281
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:16,720
The motherless infant
must have climbed in
during the long, wet night

282
00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:19,560
to share her father's warmth.

283
00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:34,000
Umoja gently grooms her father,
an illustration of the powerful bond

284
00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,920
that the pair are building.

285
00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:45,560
The little gorilla still has
difficult times ahead,

286
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:50,280
but Kwitonda is growing into his roll
as a hands-on father.

287
00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:06,880
In Uganda,
there's still no sign of Marembo,

288
00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:09,720
the missing junior silverback.

289
00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:16,320
Martha Robbins temporarily
abandons her search

290
00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,480
to travel to the far side
of the forest.

291
00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:22,880
Here, a new family of gorillas
are being habituated.

292
00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:33,480
Getting gorillas used to humans
is a long and difficult task.

293
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:37,000
GORILLAS SCREAM AND GRUNT

294
00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:40,360
They're not naturally
aggressive creatures...

295
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:46,960
..but they won't tolerate people
if they think they pose a threat,

296
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:50,640
as the park staff here
know only too well.

297
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,400
You don't know
what to expect from their group.

298
00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:57,080
They come charging
with all their teeth out,

299
00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:58,960
and that's the silverback, usually.

300
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:02,560
It comes, the dominant silverback,
because it's trying
to protect the group.

301
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:08,280
This group demands caution.

302
00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:12,840
At 34 strong, they're the largest
family in the forest,

303
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:15,360
with no less than four huge
silverbacks.

304
00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:21,440
Martha and the team
must approach with care.

305
00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:25,080
Aaah!

306
00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:28,000
They move in,
making reassuring noises.

307
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:32,800
THEY GRUNT

308
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:35,360
The family is now
just a few metres ahead.

309
00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:37,880
GORILLAS SHRIEK

310
00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,840
That's an alarm bark, a fear bark,

311
00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:02,080
so there are some quite close.

312
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:17,280
After the first aggressive reaction,
the mood calms.

313
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:19,160
The team move forward.

314
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:31,320
They're all watching us all the time.

315
00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:34,280
It's like if you have new visitors
or strangers into your house,

316
00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:36,560
you'd be very wary
of what they were doing.

317
00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:50,200
The photographs record
each gorilla's unique features.

318
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,320
Eventually,
they'll be given names too.

319
00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:04,640
Martha will advise the National Par
team if and when the gorillas

320
00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:06,480
are ready to meet visitors.

321
00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:13,360
But for that to happen,
they must be calm and confident.

322
00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,760
The gorillas are used to the
uniform. To these nice uniforms.

323
00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:20,560
So now we have to get,
like, two, four tourists,

324
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:25,520
so that they try to get used to
different faces with these uniforms.

325
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,920
HUMANS GRUNT

326
00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,720
GORILLA SCREAMS

327
00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:42,640
The reaction
of a mature female suggests

328
00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:45,120
they aren't quite ready
for visitors just yet.

329
00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:49,360
But over the next few months,
the gentle habituation
process will continue

330
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:55,800
until the silverback
is as relaxed with humans
as Kwitonda and Cantsbee.

331
00:43:08,240 --> 00:43:12,480
Tourist visits have
become the life-blood
of gorilla conservation

332
00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:13,880
in the forest and the volcanoes.

333
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,840
It was an idea Dian Fossey
initially rejected
as being too intrusive.

334
00:43:26,320 --> 00:43:32,200
But over the years,
carefully managed tourism
has provided Uganda and Rwanda

335
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:34,600
with the revenue
to look after the gorillas

336
00:43:34,600 --> 00:43:37,480
and a critical income for the people

337
00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:41,920
many of whom live
on less than a dollar a day.

338
00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:04,240
In Rwanda, single father Kwitonda
and his daughter

339
00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:06,720
are crossing the park's
boundary wall.

340
00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:18,520
Motherless infant Umoja follows
in her father's wake,

341
00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:20,600
ready to taste a new food.

342
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,640
The three-year-old is now fixed
on every move her father makes.

343
00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:32,720
But there's a difficult road ahead.

344
00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:36,760
Half of all infants fail
to reach maturity,

345
00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:41,760
and the lack of a mother's care means
the odds are stacked against Umoja.

346
00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:54,840
The attraction here
is eucalyptus sap,
which gorillas find irresistible.

347
00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:08,240
Just 5km away,
Cantsbee and his huge family

348
00:45:08,240 --> 00:45:10,880
have also crossed the wall.

349
00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,240
But there's a problem.

350
00:45:21,720 --> 00:45:24,920
Felix has found a gorilla
that's been left behind.

351
00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:35,280
She's lying alone,
curled up in a ball.

352
00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,440
Nyandwi, Cantsbee's sister.

353
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,960
She's laying down
and not doing anything,

354
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:54,200
and this is, like, not a feeding
session, everybody's feeding again,

355
00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:58,920
you can see that she's
left behind when everybody's left,
so she is perhaps sick.

356
00:45:59,920 --> 00:46:03,400
Separated from her family,
she's vulnerable.

357
00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:08,080
Cantsbee's sister is in the heart
of the dangerous bamboo zone

358
00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:10,400
with no protection.

359
00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:15,520
Since Felix can't stay in this part
of the forest after dark,

360
00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:21,160
he can only hope that the female
gorilla comes to no harm overnight.

361
00:46:44,560 --> 00:46:49,000
Not far away, the anti-poaching
team prepares for a night
under the stars.

362
00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:57,080
For many hours,
they've swept the park for snares.

363
00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:06,720
In her forest home in Uganda,

364
00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:11,640
Martha records another day without
the missing junior silverback,
Marembo.

365
00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:37,080
At daybreak in Rwanda, the
anti-poaching team are once again

366
00:47:37,080 --> 00:47:43,400
sweeping the park
for the illegal snares
that can prove fatal to gorillas.

367
00:47:55,960 --> 00:47:59,280
But, for one young female,
it may be too late.

368
00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:13,920
The sick female, sister
of gorilla patriarch Cantsbee,

369
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:16,080
managed to rejoin the group.

370
00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:18,400
But as she passed through
the bamboo zone,

371
00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:20,960
she caught her arm
in a freshly laid snare.

372
00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:23,840
If it isn't removed,
she could lose the whole limb

373
00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:26,960
and possibly even her life.

374
00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:32,160
Fortunately, Dr Lucy Spelman
from the Mountain Gorilla
Veterinary Project

375
00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:33,200
has joined the team.

376
00:48:45,160 --> 00:48:48,120
Before the snare rope can be cut
from the gorilla's wrist,

377
00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:52,800
Dr Spelman needs to immobilise her
with an anaesthetic dart.

378
00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:55,160
That's not an easy task.

379
00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:05,480
Intervening in a group
of this size and strength
is notoriously difficult.

380
00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:12,880
Silverback Cantsbee is supported
by four huge lieutenants,

381
00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:17,000
all willing to put their lives on
the line in defence of the family.

382
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:18,720
THEY GRUNT

383
00:49:18,720 --> 00:49:24,400
If they become suspicious
of Dr Spelman and the team,
they will attack.

384
00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:29,920
THEY WHISPER

385
00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:35,120
This is a serious operation,
and each member of the team
is thoroughly briefed.

386
00:49:44,560 --> 00:49:49,760
But, for the procedure itself,
Dr Spelman must go it alone.

387
00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:54,640
Fortunately, she's a wildlife vet
with years of gorilla experience.

388
00:50:06,640 --> 00:50:10,280
Dr Spelman is now within
a few metres of the group.

389
00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:19,120
Cantsbee rests further down
the slope, while his injured
sister sits alone,

390
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:22,680
the rope snare clearly visible
on her wrist.

391
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:32,440
HE WHISPERS

392
00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:00,760
SHARP SNAP AND AGITATED GRUNTING

393
00:51:07,600 --> 00:51:11,840
Dr Spelman's taken the shot,
but the young gorilla moved
at the last minute

394
00:51:11,840 --> 00:51:14,800
and hasn't received the anaesthetic.

395
00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:23,680
Many hours of careful manoeuvres
now lie ahead

396
00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:25,840
if the young gorilla's life
is to be saved.

397
00:51:42,640 --> 00:51:48,600
In Uganda, Martha Robbins
is on the trail of missing
junior silverback Marembo.

398
00:51:52,840 --> 00:51:54,920
He's now been absent for a week,

399
00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:58,760
a sure sign that he's finally made
the break from his family.

400
00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:11,920
The group have made
their way into the swamp
at the heart of the forest,

401
00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:16,120
but there's no sign of Marembo
or the dominant silverback.

402
00:52:29,200 --> 00:52:33,400
The leafy curtains part,
and a gorilla appears.

403
00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:37,960
It's the dominant silverback,
and he's looking agitated.

404
00:52:37,960 --> 00:52:41,240
Could his mood be linked
with Marembo's disappearance?

405
00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:00,400
For now, the group
has a single silverback.

406
00:53:06,120 --> 00:53:09,480
Now Marembo will eke out
the life of a lone wanderer

407
00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:14,560
in the leafy depths of the forest,
until, hopefully, securing
a family of his own.

408
00:53:19,800 --> 00:53:23,680
For Martha, it's a poignant moment.

409
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:27,840
She's known this young silverback
since he was a playful juvenile.

410
00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:36,160
Yet she can't help hoping
that he may yet return.

411
00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:40,760
I bet we'll see him a little bit
over the next few months.

412
00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:44,240
It's very difficult to be
a successful silverback.

413
00:53:44,240 --> 00:53:46,280
He's got a few rough years
ahead of him,

414
00:53:46,280 --> 00:53:49,080
being a solitary male
and trying to acquire females,

415
00:53:49,080 --> 00:53:53,520
but I think he's got a fair chance.
We'll have to wait and see.

416
00:54:15,320 --> 00:54:18,160
In Rwanda,
Felix is heading out early.

417
00:54:18,160 --> 00:54:21,040
He's hoping to catch up
with Cantsbee's sister,

418
00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:23,400
who was caught in the illegal snare.

419
00:54:30,640 --> 00:54:35,560
There's good news. Dr Spelman
managed to anaesthetise the gorilla

420
00:54:35,560 --> 00:54:37,400
and remove the snare.

421
00:54:48,040 --> 00:54:50,320
The family is heading back
to the summit of the volcano.

422
00:55:03,880 --> 00:55:06,680
There's a familiar gorilla up ahead.

423
00:55:08,720 --> 00:55:12,160
It's Cantsbee's sister,
and she looks healthy.

424
00:55:12,160 --> 00:55:17,040
This is Nyandwi here, and she's doing
well since the snare was removed.

425
00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:23,080
She's back in the group,
she's feeding,
she has no problem at all.

426
00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:26,920
It's a great outcome for the team.

427
00:55:26,920 --> 00:55:29,200
A mountain gorilla has been saved,

428
00:55:29,200 --> 00:55:32,680
and Cantsbee's family
is still 46 strong.

429
00:55:43,400 --> 00:55:47,480
Further down the volcano, single
father Kwitonda has also decided

430
00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:49,720
to lead his family
away from the bamboo.

431
00:55:56,400 --> 00:55:59,680
Following the silverback
is an unfamiliar female.

432
00:56:06,440 --> 00:56:10,640
She sits removed from the others,
nursing a tiny baby.

433
00:56:19,320 --> 00:56:24,080
This should mean certain death
for an infant new to the group.

434
00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:28,320
Any dominant silverback would kill
a baby that was not his own.

435
00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:34,200
Yet Kwitonda has not reacted.

436
00:56:37,640 --> 00:56:40,680
But this female is no stranger.

437
00:56:47,280 --> 00:56:53,520
It's Umoja's wayward mother,
who deserted Kwitonda
for a rival silverback,

438
00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:55,720
but she left pregnant
with his child.

439
00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:02,800
Now she's returned
to seek his protection.

440
00:57:09,320 --> 00:57:14,320
The hands-on father has a new son,
and Umoja has her mother back.

441
00:57:19,520 --> 00:57:22,360
How things develop now
remains to be seen.

442
00:57:27,760 --> 00:57:29,800
But one thing is certain...

443
00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:36,200
..the bond between the little gorilla
and her father, Kwitonda,

444
00:57:36,200 --> 00:57:39,440
will remain strong
for the rest of their lives.

445
00:57:50,080 --> 00:57:51,800
Next time on Mountain Gorilla...

446
00:57:53,400 --> 00:57:55,640
..the last stand
of the silverback king.

447
00:57:57,320 --> 00:58:00,520
Titus, the oldest silverback
in the Virungas,

448
00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:05,440
faces his destiny in a brutal
showdown with a rival male.

449
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:09,600
He struggles to protect
his dwindling family

450
00:58:09,600 --> 00:58:14,000
as the hostile intruder piles on
the pressure in a war of attrition.

451
00:58:18,840 --> 00:58:24,280
Felix can do nothing but watch
as the realisation dawns -

452
00:58:24,280 --> 00:58:28,160
Titus's challenger is his son.