Vlogger and restaurateur Erwan Heussaff was brushed aside by a silverback gorilla during their visit at the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
“When a silverback comes your way (this was the number 2 in the family) you make yourself as small as possible and stand your ground,” Heussaff wrote in an Instagram post of the encounter on Wednesday.
He recounted how he was stuck to where he was, even readied himself for a “hit”: “I had nowhere to go so I just clenched every fiber in my body, ready for the hit.”
“At first I thought the lady behind fell on my side, but I then realized that she managed to get behind me and that body check I felt actually came from the gorilla. SURREAL,” he added.
Being next to his wife Anne Curtis, Heussaff said: “I can now also say that I (unwillingly) put myself between this giant and my wife @annecurtissmith to protect her.”
In a separate post, Heussaff shared their experience of hiking in the rain and thick forest for two hours just to see the family of silverback gorillas.
“We were very lucky to see almost the whole family, all together, in an open plane,” he said.
The French-Filipino content creator noted that the silverback gorillas were once in the verge of extinction in the ‘80s, but the conservation efforts of Rwanda increased the animal’s number to over a thousand.
“Everyone in this region of Rwanda, knows the importance of these primates and how they create a sustainable tourism livelihood for thousands of people,” he added.
Heussaff admired Rwanda’s government and the private sectors that ensure the gorillas’ protection and how this experience will leave the best impressions to tourists.
Meanwhile, Curtis shared a sweet photo with her hubby getting photobombed by a silverback gorilla, describing it as the “best photobomber ever.”
Curtis and Heussaff recently flew to Africa to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Aside from Rwanda, the couple have already visited Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. /muf