First published 1989
George Schaller presents his field research on mountain gorillas living in the Virunga range. The wildlife biologist captures through vivid color photography how these endangered primates navigate daily threats to their existence. Schaller shows gorillas foraging, protecting their young, and establishing territory while poachers, habitat destruction, and human encroachment close in around them. The book reveals how the fate of these great apes connects directly to the Rwandan communities who share their mountain home. Political instability and poverty drive local people into conflicts with conservation efforts. Schaller documents both the gorillas' complex social behaviors and the impossible choices facing those who live alongside them. His camera reveals moments of tenderness between mothers and infants, displays of dominance among silverbacks, and the daily rituals of survival in shrinking forest refuges.
Genres: biography, nature, animals, conservation
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: documentary, nature-writing
Setting: Virunga, Rwanda
Period: 20th-century
112 pages · Hardcover · Aperture