Solitary male gorillas continue to amaze us with their ever-changing dynamics. Back in April, the elderly long-time solitary silverback Inshuti surprised us by forming a small group, with just two very young gorillas (ages 5 and 3) who had become separated from their original group.
Lately, this little group faced a challenge, as Inshuti began showing signs of illness and then a rapid deterioration of his health. When he first became ill, the youngsters were often seen lying close to him and grooming him, a sign of affection in gorilla behavior.
Young silverback Gasore (left) challenges elderly silverback Inshuti, to lead this small group of just two youngsters.
However, the dynamics shifted significantly on Oct. 10, when a younger solitary silverback, Gasore, approached the group. This interaction took a surprising turn, ending with Gasore taking over leadership and the two young gorillas joining him.
At only 14 years old, Gasore is relatively young to lead a group but has shown remarkable strength, with a backstory full of resilience. He is the last infant of Maggie, a well-known powerful female from the legendary family of Effie, once studied by Dian Fossey herself, and had been traveling as a solitary male since June 2023.
A resilient young silverback
Gasore’s life has been far from easy. He lost both parents at age 4, beginning with his father, Bwenge, who was killed in a fight with a lone silverback in October 2014. Mother Maggie bravely kept the group together on her own and protected them from outsider males (even including Inshuti, who was a lone silverback at the time). After weeks of struggling, Maggie led the group to join Ugenda’s peaceful group, where they integrated successfully. However, Maggie later left, trusting that Gasore would be safe there. Maggie was then seen traveling on her own until her trails moved too far away to be followed.
Tragedy struck again in April 2015, when the same lone silverback who had killed Bwenge fatally attacked Ugenda and the group’s other silverback, Wageni. With no silverbacks left, the group, including Gasore, joined the neighboring Mafunzo’s group, after weeks of distress.
But Gasore did not acclimate to this new group, and his adventurous spirit led him to join Isabukuru’s group in September 2015. Although he found some stability there, it didn’t last long. In 2017, Isabukuru passed away due to illness, and the group was taken over by the second silverback, Kubaha. In 2018, this group migrated to the DR Congo side of the Virunga mountains, and sightings became rare.
Youngters rest with new silverback, Gasore.
Gasore reappeared in June 2023, fully grown and traveling alone. He was seen a few more times after that, but was always solitary. Then, on Oct. 10, he interacted with Inshuti’s group. Despite his illness, Inshuti used all his energy in powerful displays against Gasore and the two young gorillas remained close to him. This interaction lasted for hours and by the next day, all the gorillas appeared exhausted. Inshuti and the two youngsters were still together, but Gasore was nearby, just a few meters away.
The big surprise came on Oct. 12, when our trackers found the two young gorillas with Gasore, but no sign of Inshuti.
It will be fascinating to see how this unusual group develops and whether Inshuti might attempt to rejoin them. Gorilla dynamics, which include transfers, mergers and encounters, are incredibly complex and often take unpredictable turns like this one. Though Inshuti hasn’t been seen since the encounter, his physical strength and strong character give us hope for his survival.
For now, we are focused on monitoring Gasore and the two young gorillas. The trio has bonded quickly and is often seen close together, even grooming, suggesting a strong and fast bond.
This article is part of a series presented by the Fossey Fund’s gorilla program Senior Advisor Veronica Vecellio, focusing on the mountain gorillas the Fossey Fund protects and studies every day in Rwanda. Veronica has worked with these gorilla families for 20 years and shares her deep knowledge and insights about their lives.
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