Mountain Gorilla, a one-hour Survival film, is an enthralling intimate study of family life in the world of nature's gentle giants Subscribe to Our World: https://bit.ly/3xnPuGL

And of the impact of man's turbulent politics on that world. For the first time ever in a wildlife film, wild gorillas have the time to reveal their personalities and the viewer can really share their daily activities. Cameraman Bruce Davidson spent seven years filming this extraordinary portrait of a group of wild gorillas, following the fortunes of each member of the tribe. What develops is a family saga rich in grand themes of any human drama - death, adolescent rebellion, jealousy and parenthood. The Programme was filmed in Zaire, one of the most spectacular and politically unstable regions of Africa. Far beneath the gorilla domain the hard volcanic rock has become home to thousands of refugees fleeing Rwanda. Daily more and more people venture into the forest in search of fuel. It is a human crisis, which now threatens the peaceful life of the mountain gorilla. A half-hour programme about the making of the film accompanies Mountain Gorilla, The Making of Mountain Gorilla gives a fascinating insight into the way the painstaking work of the cameraman, coupled with one young primate's natural curiosity and growing trust, forged a bond which allowed this spell-binding film to be made.

This film was first broadcast: 17 Jul 1996

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Explore Our World and watch some of the most successful nature documentary series about the environment and the wonders and dangers nature has to offer. We will be posting some of the longest-running and most successful nature documentary series, revealing the trials and tribulations of life on Earth and often for the first time, the secrets of the natural world in all its wonder.

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