Gorillas dismantling traps

From Anarchy In Action

In Rwanda since 2012, groups of young gorillas have been seen intentionally dismantling traps that hunters set. Hunters had attached nooses to bent bamboo branches. Eben Diskin reports:

Gorillas, however, are taking a proactive approach to these traps. A research team in Rwanda recently found groups of young gorillas actively seeking out and dismantling traps, to prevent their brethren from falling victim. The research team observed one gorilla bending and breaking the tree, while another disabled the noose, repeating the process for multiple traps. The team believes that gorillas have witnessed a correlation between these devices and the deaths of their peers, prompting their desire to neutralize them.[1]


  1. Eben Diskin, "Young gorillas are working together to destroy poachers’ traps in Rwanda," Matador, 5 June 2018, https://matadornetwork.com/read/young-gorillas-working-together-destroy-poachers-traps-rwanda/.