The monkey knows how to break the hunter's trap

After a gorilla died of the hunter's trap in the forest in Rwanda, its two mates found and broke the trap.

Poachers place thousands of traps in Rwanda's Volcanic National Park, home to silver gorillas, to catch animals. Their main goal is antelope and some small animals, but occasionally traps harm gorillas. Adult gorillas are capable of escaping from traps, but small gorillas are not so lucky. Last week a baby gorilla, named Ngwino, trapped and died of injuries.

Two gorillas break the noose in the national park
Volcano of Rwanda. (Photo: Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund)

On July 17, John Ndayambaje, an employee of Dian Fossey Gorilla Foundation, went to the forest to find and destroy traps - the work he and his colleagues do every day. He saw a noose trap near the living area of ​​a gorilla, but did not dare to see an adult gorilla sitting close to the trap with a threatening attitude, National Geographic reported.

Suddenly Dukore and Rwema, the names of the two gorillas about 4 years old, appeared. They run to the trap and destroy it. Then the two monkeys continued to move to a trap that Ndayambaje did not detect. Another gorilla appeared and three children broke the trap.

"Certainly this is the first time we have witnessed the immature gorilla breaking his trap. We have never read or heard a similar story around the world," said Veronica Vecellio, coordinator of program of Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, speech.

All the operations of monkeys were done so well and so fast that Vecellio did not think this was the first time they had broken the trap.

"They are very confident. They know what they should do. After finishing a trap, they continue to look for something else," Vecellio commented.

Poachers' traps have caused many silver back gorillas to get injured or die. So, according to Vecellio, perhaps small gorillas understand that traps are dangerous.

"That's why they broke the trap. We feel proud to have found evidence of the great back gorilla's intelligence," Vecellio said.