Something that we all have in common is a love for animals. Some of us may love them more than others but in the end, they really enhance our lives. It doesn’t matter if it is a pet in our home or if it is a wild animal we see from our car or perhaps on TV, they are amazing creatures and they bring something to us that we sometimes are not able to give back.
When Gordon Buchanan sees animals, he often does so from a rather unique perspective. He is a wildlife photographer and is known around the world for the work he does. When he was asked to go film a piece fo BBC in the Democratic Republic of Congo, therefore, he might not have thought it was out of the ordinary. In the end, he would capture footage that would inspire millions.
It started when he saw a large Silverback gorilla standing on the side of the road. He was just standing there, watching the trucks pass by. What Gordon was able to see, however, is that there was some concern in his eyes, so he decided to see what was happening.
The tension on the face of the gorilla was intense, but he didn’t know what the creature needed. That is when he asked the film crew to go out into the road and get a closer look. It didn’t take long before the true intentions of the gorilla were known.
The gorilla did not let the cameras get too close. He decided to make his move first.
As the film crew was settling into position, the traffic suddenly came to a halt. Once that happened, the 1,500-pound gorilla made his move into the middle of the street. Once he was there, he told his family to come ahead and he stood there to watch guard.
That was why he had the concerned look on his face. He was worried about his family. As it turned out, the gorilla was willing to put his own life in danger to save the life of his family.
Gorillas are known for being protective of their young. It might actually stem from their close association with humans. It isn’t out of the ordinary for a gorilla to be aggressive when their family is around.
A respected gorilla website explains: “Mothers are highly protective of their young; many have died trying to protect their offspring against poachers. Children learn so much from their mother and other troop members that it is very difficult to re-introduce young rescued gorillas into the wild [if rescued].”
We are thankful that this gorilla got to cross the road safely.
You can see the the incredible footage in this video: