ENDANGERED: Fine Art & Photography Contest 2020 Submission

Standing amidst a family of 10 Uganda Mountain Gorillas is a truly humbling experience. From watching two youths playing with each other, adults leisurely eating leaves and vine stalks, and the unconcerned glance of the 350 pound male Silverback made me appreciate how precious these gentle creatures are to our world.

Although locking eyes with a gorilla 15 feet away is one of my most vivid memories of the trip, the ability to capture that look with my Lumix camera allows me to recreate that feeling for a lifetime. The actions, facial gestures & personalities of the gorillas bring to mind those seen every day by humans.

Gorilla treks of 8 visitors for a 60 minute time period only once a day is allowed to observe these beautiful animals. The $600 permit and hiring of porters & guides create reduction of poaching and much needed income among local Ugandans. There are eleven habituated gorilla families in Uganda and seven in Rwanda. Less than 1,000 mountain gorillas exist in the world.

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