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Mugaruka
The gardener
- Known locally as the “Gardener” for his propensity for spending time in the tea plantations which fringe the park, eating large quantities of fresh herbs which grow among the tea bushes
- Missing right hand (lost in snare when still a juvenile gorilla)
- Name means ‘saviour’ – thanks to his surviving the war, during which five families of gorillas were killed
- Missing hand also means his chest-beat is not a POK-A-POK-A-POK like usual, but with a slight delay between POKs (POK—POK—POK)
- Thought to have lost several females to Chimanuka several years ago
- Currently solitary
- Sometimes attempts to “steal” females back from Chimanuka, so far unsuccessful
- Very calm, well habituated like Chimanuka
Mugaruka
