With the arrest of General Nkunda(The rebel leader) earlier this year things have stabilised a lot, but there were still a lot of militias and army around. We saw a lot of guns and rockets, which always makes things slightly more tense. Then pointing a camera at people who are suspicious and a little fearful of anybody recording what they are up to adds to the atmosphere. But what a beautiful place, fertile and bursting with resources, whcih should make the country rish, but seems to be more of a curse. Seeing the gorillas is always an incredible experience. We joined a group of 12, and had a glimpse of a baby gorilla with his punk hair sticking up, which was great. We even managed to circumnavigate the group to see the enormous silver back, who then decided to mate a few meters in front of us, think he was showing off to the camera! He illustrated typical male behaviour by scratching himself and going to sleep straight after the act.

Sadly one of the rangers who was patrolling further south in the park was shot while we were out there, and is a stark reminder of the difficult and serious work these amazing guys are doing to protect the gorillas day in day out.

Jillian has been working to save the gorillas for decades, through the genocide times in Rwanda, and throughout the war in Congo, she has been fighting her own battle to raise funds and support to protect these close relatives of ours. She knows it is a difficult and endless task she has set herself, but her boundless enthusiasm, generosity and determination could help to keep the mountain gorillas from extinction.