The idea that gorillas are too heavy to climb well persists in the public mind, so a video like this in #Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, #Uganda, comes as a surprise to many. Weighing up to 200kg, a #silverback mountain gorilla is indeed too heavy to reach the highest branch tips of a Maesa lanceolata tree, where his dinner grows, so he stretches up and snaps the branches then sits on the stronger tree-trunk and uses his lips to gather the tiny berries. This may seem destructive behaviour, but it serves to pollard the tree, stimulating the growth of new branches and in the short-term, opening up light gaps in the canopy. The pools of light on the forest floor provide an ideal place for seeds to germinate, and as gorilla droppings - excellent fertiliser as they decompose - frequently contain seeds from fruit eaten the previous day, it is easy to see why ecologists describe them as #GardenersoftheForest (second only to elephants in importance as seed dispersal agents in the forests of 10 countries in central Africa).

This is No.30 in the #BrightenYourDay series of videos to lift the spirits of those in #Covid19 #lockdown. Tourist visits to see gorillas and other apes were suspended in March 2020 to reduce the risk of this contagious disease spreading to our zoological next of kin.

In the meantime, please support NGOs helping to conserve #gorillas, such as The Gorilla Organization, Conservation Through Public Health, Gorilla Doctors.