The Great Apes

[Spalea]

Nelis Wolmarans: " I believe that being human also means that we are able to form a connection, bond and attachments to animals as strong as what we develop for people whom we bond with. Dominant Silverback Munyinya was one such an animal to me and his death came as quite a shock for both my wife and myself. This big guy was born in 1993 and originated from the SUSA family but because of his love for the ladies, he had a number of altercations with the Silverback from this group, Kurira and left the family in 2002. He disappeared for 4 years and was first seen again on the 17th of June 2006 when he showed up with a few females which he stole from other families such as Agashya, Sabyinyo and Kwitonda. His family grew considerably over the years and Munyinya found a soft spot in the hearts of not only many a tourist, but also the park guides and trackers. End of last year, Munyinya took his family across the border into Mugahinga NP in Uganda with devastating consequences. The family lost a number of members in a lightening strike and following this incident, Munyinya developed a respiratory condition which was treated and seen to by the Gorilla Doctors and it seemed he was on the mend. Unfortunately the condition returned and ultimately caused the death of this big guy. Munyinya was a gentle giant in every sense of the word and to me, he was very much all that we wish to see in another human being, gentle, patient, caring and very protective of his family, especially the little ones. Munyinya is the Silverback on the front cover of the book #rememberinggreatapes of the series of Remembering books dedicated to raising much needed funding and support of conservation initiatives for the species featured in each book. He is also the Silverback in my watermark. RIP big guy, your legacy will continue to live on... "

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