Gerry's Story

April 2006: This story is written by one of the Cameroonian education officers of CWAF, Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund: Jeta James Fawoh.  CWAF runs a sanctuary outside Yaounde in the center of Cameroon. Steuart and I visited both the Yaounde Zoo and Mefou National Park in 2001 during a PASA conference, before going on to the Limbe Wildlife Centre, which is also in Cameroon, but on the coast of the Atlantic ocean in the southwest province.  The story was written by James to help his local countrymen understand why gorillas shouldn’t be eaten or killed.  I love the style of writing and the story itself and thought readers of our website would enjoy it too, so with his permission, I am posting it here:

Gerry’s Story: “Can’t you see for yourself that I’m intelligent?”

My name is Gerry. I am a female gorilla. I live with six other gorillas at the adolescent gorilla enclosure at the Mefou National Park. We are enclosed by an electric fence. I know this because the first time I touched it I had an electric shock in my fingers. But I feel as to explore the other part of the forest. It seems there is no way to get out of my enclosure. No! there should be a way.

One day my desire to explore the other part of the forest mounted, I thought of an idea. I said to myself, with a stick, I can create a space through which I can escape. Since I know a wet or fresh stick can still conduct electricity, I resolved in using a dry one. How am I going to use it?

Let me try this way. I passed the stick under the last wire towards the outside and tried to lift the wire so as to create a space. The space created could only permit my hand to go out. But that is not the point; I want my whole body outside. Oh! I now understand. Because of this foundation constructed with bricks (of about 20cm high) the space created can not be enough for me to go out. I have to change the idea. What then should I do?

I decided to lean the stick on the wires and put my weight on it so that I can have the space to escape. Great! It worked. Oh! no, the space created is too high for me to jump out. You know we gorillas do have too much weight and can not jump so high. While leaning on the 8th hot wire from the ground, I thought for a while. Two ideas came to my mind. I have to step two wires down and I also need some assistance.

I called for Jasmine. She was there to measure the distance from the ground and the space created to see if an escape would be possible. While I push the 6th hot wire down to create the necessary space, she was trying to escape. But we noticed something. At the 6th hot wire it was still high for us to escape. So we had to step down again.

I stepped down to the 5th level (hot wire) and saw that it was the ideal level for the plan. While I was appreciating my intelligence Jasmine was preparing for the escape. "Hey! Hey! Jasmine” I called, “get set, it’s time to accomplish our plan.” Unfortunately for us, some body was watching. He then stopped us. Although I did not come out of my enclosure on that blessed day, what do you think I am? I can open a tap and drink from it as you men do, our gestation period last for 9 months as yours, we have five fingers, five toes like yours. But you prefer to call us Bush meat. Is that fair?

Story by
Jeta James Fawoh
CWAF Education Officer

Pictures by
Salomen(CWAF volunteer 2005)