Silverback Gorilla Relocated To Virunga National Park After Stealing Crops From Locals (VIDEO)

In this stunning video from the folks at Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a daring effort is made to transport the 375-pound silverback gorilla Mukunda back to the wildlife reserve after he strayed over three miles away. Once wandering, Mukunda began destroying the crops of local villagers over the span of two months, threatening their livelihood and endangering his own life as a result.

After locating Mukunda and successfully anesthetizing him, he was driven back to his home in the forest, making the last stretch of steep hills on a bamboo stretcher, a process that took most of the day.

Virunga is the second oldest national park in the world (after Yellowstone), and is home to 200 critically endangered mountain gorillas, of which only 720 total remain. Their daring attempt to relocate Mukunda back to the park shows their commitment to preserving him and his species.

WATCH relocating a silverback gorilla:

Comments

[edva]

10:23 AM on 06/29/2010

Only 720 left.........

[Tommygun264]

05:42 AM on 06/28/2010

The size, power and sheer beauty of this animal leaves me in awe. I applaud the efforts of these people in saving him. And as for those who were placing their hands through those powerful jaws, and into the drugged animal's gullet, they are much braver souls than I. Even heavily drugged, I would think an involuntary muscle spasm could have snapped the gorilla's jaw shut.

[fran]

01:43 PM on 06/27/2010

Finally someone doing what we as humans should be doing to help these beautiful creatures

[Toa Reap]

10:47 AM on 06/26/2010

Great job... it's nice to see some humanity from time to time

[JLTurner]

01:18 PM on 06/27/2010

Amen to that.

[copelli21]

01:53 PM on 06/29/2010

Ditto.

[SweetJudith]

10:37 PM on 06/29/2010

His shear beauty takes your breath away. I belong to a save the Silverbacks group and all Gorillas. The horrific things humans do to these amazing animals are sometimes hard to believe until you see it head on. They kill them for bush meat and then one woman we read about who was caught and who had everything thought it would be a real conversation piece if she had a hand of a Silverback and have it turned in to a candy dish. Mother nature has every right in this world to be furious with most of the humans. We were put here to be their guardians, not their executioners... How very, very sad..Wild animals and those endangered species is the third largest illegal trade in the world.

[Roxanna]

10:28 AM on 06/26/2010

This is so absolutely touching to watch and read about...
If only the main stream media would show more of this...... the importance of connecting, saving, loving and preserving these magnificent creatures.

[SweetJudith]

10:48 PM on 06/29/2010

So very true Roxanna...
Fanned!

[hope61]

10:06 AM on 06/26/2010

So much more interesting than reading about Mrs. Palin....

[Mark Harker]

01:24 PM on 06/27/2010

you really only have yourself to blame for that.

[hope61]

05:42 PM on 06/27/2010

Tout au contraire, I was patting myself on the back....

[IzzyIdol]

08:35 AM on 06/30/2010

God's truth. I do not read a thing about her anymore. I pray she will go away soon.

[hope61]

08:50 PM on 06/30/2010

Oh, oh, you're on the naughty christian list now ;))....

[zaglossus]

09:46 AM on 06/26/2010

God save these noble beasts from extinction!!

[IzzyIdol]

08:37 AM on 06/30/2010

Amen.

[linton]

08:47 AM on 06/26/2010

Excellent work by all involved. Would have been easier for this 375 pounder to end up in the market and on dinner plates in the not too distant past. Good luck to Mukunda, hopes he gets one of those tracking devices and that he doesn't stray from home.

[ThruSpaceAndTime]

07:25 AM on 06/26/2010

Majestic being and beautiful people whose beauty gushes and rushes from within
Segment showing gorilla with tongue out funny,
Mukunda's body language said, I am all tuckered out
The world is a many splendored thing
Spirit of cooperation on display
Maybe it will spread

[Mark Todd]

07:06 AM on 06/26/2010

my head hurts with the math...

"...and is home to 200 critically endangered mountain gorillas, of which only 720 total remain"....

huh?!

[LHoney]

07:38 AM on 06/26/2010

home to 200 of the 720 in the world

[ochaye]

07:02 AM on 06/26/2010

Gorillas on ketamine. Nice name for a rock group.

[dhrama]

05:51 AM on 06/26/2010

I regard the notion that an ANIMAL is "STEALING" anything as nothing short of OBSCENE.

Animals don't steal, they simply take what they can get. I hope the horrible animal hater who wrote that caption finds her- or himself in the presence of an angry male Gorilla sometime soon.

[Faraja]

06:54 AM on 06/26/2010

bwah ha hahahahaha! Calm down!

[dhrama]

07:17 AM on 06/26/2010

LOL Sod off.

[Palaver]

08:27 AM on 06/26/2010

People find. Animals steal. It's in the Bible.

[beckpod1]

03:20 AM on 06/26/2010

Probably thought he was abducted by aliens...left a bad taste in his mouth...!

[BikeFreak]

02:32 AM on 06/26/2010

Crop stealing gorilla, huh.

No mention of that land probably being his and other animals before it was turned into a crop field.

[seachange525]

05:25 AM on 06/26/2010

Exactly what I was thinking, BikeFreak. Thanks for saying it.

[Palaver]

08:37 AM on 06/26/2010

Hey, crops deserve to live too!

[hottingers]

02:25 AM on 06/26/2010

That's just amazing. The EMT's worked hard on Mr.Cheney.

[BestGuest]

05:45 AM on 06/26/2010

Well considering u couldn't write this commend on the Cheney article (Heavy censorship.. sorry moderation).... Nice one :-)

[JoeBayerSr]

10:54 AM on 06/26/2010

I guess that should tell you Genius is that life is worth saving. Huh?