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Discovering Gorillas: The Journey from Mythic to Real

The discovery of the real often starts within the realm of myth. Think, for example, of the Northwest Passage or the fabled wealth ofTimbuktu. The same can be said about gorillas. Reports of a great ape lurking in the depths of Africa go back over two thousand years, but confirmation that one actually existed did not take place until the middle of the nineteenth century: A rush of hopeful discoverers then ensued. Few succeeded in seeing any, much less studying them, and thus "knowledge" about gorillas consisted mostly of fanciful tale-telling based on reports from Africans. By and large, it depicted a savagebeast of enormous power that terrorized people, especially women. A turn began as the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth. Direct observations in the wild began emphasizing the gorilla'smany human-like qualities and essentially peaceful nature, characteristics subsequent research has essentiallyverified.