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Over the course of my lifetime,
I've visited many extraordinary places.
I've met many fascinating creatures…
…but there are some
with which I have felt an especially deep connection.
They possess a strength and vigor…
…that far surpasses ours.
But when I look at them,
it's not their size and their power that fills me with awe.
It is the intelligence and awareness I see in their eyes
when they look back at me.
They fill me with an overwhelming sense of wonder
and of fear.
But not a fear of them.
A fear that I, we, may have missed something.
Something important.
A deeper understanding of what and who they are…
…and what that might mean for us.
I remember the first time I met mountain gorillas.
"Monday 9th January, 1978."
"The perfect cones of the Virunga volcanoes ahead."
"We start the one-and-a-half-hour walk up the mountain."
"Slowly, the nondescript bush transforms into the high-altitude rainforest."
"Long-branch trees loaded with cushions of epiphytes."
"Green, ribbon-leaved ferns
with wispy, pallid Spanish moss everywhere."
"We found a group of females and juveniles in a small clearing,
and, to my astonishment, they allowed me to approach."
"This would not have been possible
without the pioneering work of Dian Fossey."
"She lived among the gorillas,
studying the intimate details of their lives."
Because we did as we were instructed by Dian,
they accepted us on those same terms.
"I had to pause and exchange a deep-throated grunt."
"The reassurance noise meaning, 'I'm here.'"
Mm.
Their sight, their hearing, their sense of smell
are so similar to ours
that we see the world in the same way as they do.
And so, if there was a possibility of escaping the human condition
and living imaginatively in another creature's world,
it must be with a gorilla.
What I don't say there,
uh… is that
this wasn't, uh, supposed to be a film of meeting gorillas directly.
Um… the function of the sequence
was the importance of the thumb and forefinger…
the opposable thumb and forefinger.
We didn't think we were going to be in touch with them.
We would just sit there and talk about them.
I turned. They were lying on the ground. I turned to look back at the camera.
I felt a weight on my feet.
And I looked down there. There was little Pablo.
I couldn't talk about the evolution of the thumb and forefinger.
I just sat back and let it happen.
Look at this lovely little creature.
I mean, absolutely engaging. You want to hug him.
I… I… J… just… just…
just sheer bliss, really.
Many people would think it was the most important sequence
in that series.
If not, actually, in my filmed life.
There is more meaning and mutual understanding
in exchanging a glance with a gorilla
than any other animal I know.
I had no idea at the time what an incredible life Pablo would lead…
or the legacy he would leave behind.
Now I have the chance to tell Pablo's story
and that of his descendants
who still inhabit those mountain slopes in the Virungas.
Almost 50 years later,
this gorilla family, now known as the Pablo group,
are at a crossroads in their story.
The dominant silverback and the leader of the group is Gicurasi.
He is one of the oldest and most experienced gorillas
on the mountain.
And the Pablo group has enjoyed a period of stability under his leadership.
That stability is, in part, down to his most important ally.
Teta is the dominant female.
She has the respect of the group,
and they follow her lead.
Teta and Gicurasi
share a unique bond.
With her by his side,
he has maintained power for five long years.
They are the heart of this gorilla family.
But Gicurasi is now well beyond his physical peak.
And there are others waiting in line.
Ubwuzu…
an up-and-coming silverback.
Very big,
very strong,
with ambitions of his own.
Gicurasi is losing his strength…
and Ubwuzu wants to take over as leader.
But for now, the group are fixated on Teta's baby.
Just as for us,
a newborn is a source of fascination.
But she's only a few months old,
so Teta must keep her out of harm's way,
especially when things get a bit rowdy.
Gorillas of all ages like to play.
It's an important part of forging and maintaining bonds.
But Ubwuzu is not interested in playing games.
Right now, he is focused on Gicurasi.
He has outgrown the older male and is trying to intimidate him.
But leading a gorilla group is not just about brute strength…
as I saw for myself all those years ago in Rwanda.
"The dominant silverback is Beethoven, probably 30 years old."
"He has an aggressive strut."
He comes in, and this is a huge animal.
You know, I mean… huge compared with you.
I mean, just one thump from his fist could crack your head open.
However, Beethoven had another side to him,
and it was revealed to me
through his relationship with little Pablo.
Not long after I met him, his mother disappeared,
and he was left to fend for himself.
Without the protection of his mother, a gorilla of Pablo's age
would have struggled to survive.
But then something remarkable happened.
Beethoven, the giant silverback, took him under his wing.
He tried his best to care for him as his mother would have done.
And Pablo was always by his side.
He watched.
And he learned.
With Beethoven as a father figure,
Pablo began to thrive.
It was a relationship that would change Pablo's life forever.
Just like the gorillas I met,
there are many different personalities within the Pablo group today.
And there is one who reminds me of Pablo himself.
Not only does he look very similar,
he seems to have the same boldness and curiosity.
But he has a special fascination with one gorilla in particular.
Imfura.
Imfura is at a difficult age.
He's on the cusp of adulthood,
and his back is beginning to show signs of silver.
But his mind is still young.
Gorillas are highly social creatures
and exist in a network of different relationships
that help shape who they are
and who they will become.
It's clear that Imfura has a playful and caring side.
But his size and strength are new to him.
And it hasn't gone unnoticed.
Imfura has been seriously injured by Ubwuzu.
It seems brutal,
but every silverback has a violent side.
And it's natural for Ubwuzu to try to eliminate his competition.
But Imfura is still young.
And he didn't know how to defend himself.
The Pablo group are waking up.
At 12,000 feet,
this is the very top of their mountain kingdom.
Ubwuzu is on the move.
Many silverbacks have ruled these mountains.
Now Ubwuzu is ready to take his turn.
But the rest of the group have yet to be convinced,
and his frustration is building.
The point is not to frighten them.
It's to show them how frightening he can be.
How capable he would be as their leader.
Gicurasi is watching.
But for some reason, he does not react.
When you look at any gorilla,
you can't help but imagine what it is they're thinking or feeling.
What it is that they want,
or what they intend to do.
It's impossible to know for sure.
We can only observe and wonder.
One thing is certain, however.
Despite their size,
gorillas are complex and sensitive creatures.
Each one is different
with their own unique personality.
And, like us,
they're shaped by all their life experiences.
The good
and the bad.
Imfura's wounds are healing…
but he's staying away from the group.
At this stage of life,
male gorillas can become very isolated.
And even their own families become wary of them.
Young males like Imfura sometimes choose to leave their group
to start their own family.
And sometimes they're left with no choice but to leave.
There are other groups out there.
Imfura can't see them,
but he can hear them.
And some are much larger and more powerful than the Pablo group.
With such big numbers and so many silverbacks,
outbreaks of violence are more common.
Getting caught alone by one of these large groups
would be extremely dangerous for Imfura.
Ubwuzu is looking for food with some of the family.
The Pablo group's range is about three square miles…
and it contains many different types of plants
that make up most of their diet.
But gorillas are opportunistic.
And Ubwuzu has stumbled across something different.
Ants.
But these are army ants who have powerful jaws.
And they bite back.
The excitement brings in others.
One of the jobs of a dominant silverback
is to guide the group to good feeding areas…
and, more importantly, to bring the group together.
Ubwuzu's influence is growing.
Silverbacks communicate in complex ways…
and body language plays a big part.
Where you sit and how you move says a lot.
Ubwuzu is challenging Gicurasi
by moving directly towards him.
As the group's leader, Gicurasi should see him off.
But he does nothing.
Teta is watching closely.
Confrontations between silverbacks can escalate quickly.
Ubwuzu attacks.
Silverbacks are more than twice the size of an adult man.
They are many times stronger.
And fights can end in death.
Ubwuzu emerges unscathed.
But there's no sign of Gicurasi.
Gicurasi has survived the fight.
But he's been badly beaten.
Dominated by the younger male in front of the whole group.
As dominant female,
Teta must show the group who she supports.
She leaves with the older male.
And the group follows.
After leading for five years,
Gicurasi has earned their loyalty.
Ubwuzu has been rejected.
Not every silverback has what it takes to lead.
Success or failure comes down to character.
I only knew Pablo as a three-year-old,
but it was clear that he was a unique character, even then.
Having been adopted and raised by a powerful silverback,
by the time he was 18,
he was ready to lead for himself.
He broke away to form his own group,
the Pablo group.
However, Pablo was an unconventional leader.
When he was challenged by a rival silverback
from within his own group,
instead of fighting,
Pablo took the opportunity to form a powerful alliance with him.
By replacing aggression with cooperation,
between them, they took the group from strength to strength.
At their peak, the Pablo group was 65 in number,
the biggest group of mountain gorillas ever known.
And among them was a young male who would one day become leader himself.
Gicurasi.
But now, Gicurasi's dominance is being challenged.
The question is, does he fight back,
or can he learn to cooperate with Ubwuzu?
Despite winning the fight with Gicurasi,
Ubwuzu is still not being acknowledged as leader by the rest of the group.
Or Teta.
Without the support of the dominant female,
Ubwuzu may never win over the group.
But Teta's allegiance may be shifting.
By leaving Gicurasi's side and joining Ubwuzu,
she's signaling her support for the younger male.
And Gicurasi steps aside.
Ubwuzu is now the leader of the Pablo group,
but this is just the beginning.
Taking over the leadership is one thing.
Staying on top and keeping everyone safe is another.
There is a new arrival to the group,
an immigrant female from the other side of the mountain.
Inyange has left the group where she was born
and joined the Pablo group
so she may start a family of her own.
It's a difficult move but one driven by instinct,
and it avoids inbreeding.
She needs to form her own relationships here,
but she's still a stranger to the Pablo group
and must tread carefully.
Ubwuzu and Gicurasi are adjusting to their new relationship.
Now that Ubwuzu is in charge,
he must learn to temper his aggression,
and Gicurasi must learn to respect his authority.
It's still tense,
but their body language suggests a level of cooperation may be developing,
which is putting the rest of the group at ease.
As they drift in and out of consciousness,
a powerful sense of togetherness and belonging is expressed
in a chain of tender physical contacts.
The intimate and unmistakable bonds of a close-knit gorilla family.
The younger members of the group will only rest for so long.
Ubi is also stirring.
And he's leaving his mother to explore.
Imfura is recovering from yet another beating.
He's now lost nearly all meaningful contact with the group.
It seems that Ubi is Imfura's only remaining friend.
But something is not right.
Ubi's mother is close by.
She seems to be sending a message to Imfura.
"Stay away from my baby."
Everyone is turning their back on Imfura.
Inyange, the newly arrived female,
has been observing the group for a while now.
Especially Teta.
As dominant female,
this could be a very important relationship for Inyange.
If Teta allows Inyange to be close to her family,
it'll send a message to the rest of the group.
And Teta seems to be welcoming her.
Even trusting Inyange to hold her baby.
Young females do this instinctively.
It prepares them for motherhood.
Inyange's arrival is a positive sign
for both the Pablo group and Ubwuzu.
Gorilla families are always looking to grow.
There's strength in numbers.
Inyange has arrived at an especially good time.
Ubwuzu, having taken over as leader, is keen to have offspring of his own.
With new females arriving…
…and, hopefully, new babies on the way,
the group may well grow
and become more powerful under Ubwuzu's leadership.
Imfura has been excluded from group life for many months.
He's now moving down the mountain alone.
A wall marks the limit of the gorilla's forest.
Imfura has reached the edge of their world.
He has crossed into the human world.
People have lived here for thousands of years.
And they, too, depend on the land.
The relationship between humans and gorillas
has always been a difficult one.
When I was in Rwanda almost 50 years ago,
poaching had pushed the gorilla population to the very brink of extinction.
There were only around 250 gorillas left in the Virunga Mountains.
There might not be mountain gorillas at all
had it not been for Dian Fossey.
When poachers began killing the gorillas she had come to know and love,
she dedicated her life to protecting them…
by whatever means possible.
Even after her death,
her pioneering study of gorillas continued.
Over the years,
many others were inspired to protect the gorillas
from within Rwanda and beyond.
And attempts to conserve them became increasingly successful.
Today, Rwanda's gorilla population has largely recovered.
But while their population has grown,
the mountains have not.
What does this mean for Imfura?
And where does he go from here?
Many gorillas are crowded into the same space.
It's changing their behavior
and their relationships with each other.
Imfura is not welcome in the Pablo group.
He's been up the mountain
and all the way down.
He's running out of options.
He may be destined to be a lone silverback,
the most unpredictable animals on the mountain.
Ubwuzu is now securely on top.
The group is stable, and it's growing.
There are two brand-new babies…
one of which is Inyange's.
Ubwuzu's first offspring as leader.
Gorilla newborns are completely dependent on their mothers,
and gorilla mothers are completely devoted to their babies.
They are inseparable for the first few months of life.
Inyange is a first-time mother
and understandably nervous.
Ubwuzu is keeping a close eye on her,
and he's been doing a good job protecting her.
But, as the dominant silverback,
Ubwuzu can't only watch over Inyange.
There are other females who want his attention.
These displays are an invitation to mate.
Ubwuzu accepts
and leaves the group unprotected.
While Ubwuzu was distracted,
something terrible has happened.
Inyange's baby has been killed.
The injuries suggest that a gorilla was responsible.
The other females in the group surround her.
Only Inyange knows exactly what happened…
and who is responsible.
She may be a recent arrival to the group,
but her loss seems to have affected everyone.
Inyange has taken herself away.
But at least she's not alone.
Ubwuzu was the baby's father.
But he failed to defend Inyange and their baby.
It has been four days since Inyange's baby was killed.
Losing an infant in this way
could cause the group to lose confidence in their leader
and may even fracture the group.
But for now, they're huddled around Ubwuzu,
and Inyange is right by his side.
Something has frightened her.
Imfura has returned.
Her reaction tells Ubwuzu everything he needs to know.
Imfura killed Inyange's baby.
And he's now a threat to everyone.
Ubwuzu attacks.
But now, Imfura is much stronger.
Gicurasi joins in.
Imfura gets away.
But he's not gone far.
For the last year,
while he's been excluded from group life,
he has never left it completely.
But now, a line has been crossed.
He has killed a member of his own family.
The group is gathered around their leader, Ubwuzu.
And now, he's leading them on a mission.
Imfura is making his way up the mountain,
but he's not alone.
Ubwuzu is close behind
with Teta and Gicurasi by his side.
They're pushing Imfura all the way out.
Imfura is crossing into the next valley alone.
Perhaps he was always going to end up here.
Or perhaps there's only so many beatings a gorilla can take.
Imfura may now wander the mountains alone for years.
Or maybe he will find a family of his own one day.
Only time will tell.
There is at least one member of the group who will miss Imfura.
Ubi is probably too young to understand the events that have unfolded here.
But Imfura was his friend.
And now, his friend has gone.
However, Ubi, just like little Pablo, is very adaptable.
And he seems intent on making a new big friend.
Ubwuzu.
It's been a testing year for Ubwuzu,
but he's grown into his role as leader.
And maybe now a friendship with Ubi is exactly what he needs in his life.
Gicurasi is no longer in charge here,
but he's filling a new role by supporting a younger, stronger silverback.
He has a lot of knowledge and will be a great help to Ubwuzu.
This may well be the most important role of his life.
Teta has played a critical part in supporting the leadership transition,
and she and her family are doing well.
Her baby is now almost two years old.
She is growing in strength
and in character.
Inyange has had a tough time.
She lost her first baby,
and we can only imagine
that this will have a lasting impact on her.
But she is now an established member of the Pablo group…
and part of something that is at the very heart of gorilla life.
Family.
The Pablo group is not the perfect family.
No family is.
But they have stuck together through some very difficult times.
And right now things are looking up for the Pablo group…
as indeed they are for the species as a whole.
Today there are over 600 mountain gorillas
across the Virunga Mountains.
Their population has more than doubled since I was there almost 50 years ago.
It's one of the greatest conservation success stories that I've witnessed.
And perhaps that's down to the profound connection people feel
towards gorillas.
It's a connection that has stayed with me my whole life.
And it all began with one special little gorilla.
Despite a difficult start in life,
Pablo grew into a strong and charismatic leader.
He remained devoted to his family until the very end.
This is some of the last known footage of Pablo.
At 33 years old,
while defending his group from a rival gorilla,
the great silverback was killed.
I will never forget him…
or the impact he had on me.
The words I use are,
"There's more meaning in exchanging a glance with a gorilla
than with any other animal I know."
And I stick by that.
I think that's true.