'He tried to pull my foot' - a close encounter with a silverback gorilla
When wildlife cameraman, Vianet Djenguet, was invited to film the gradual process of a gorilla family getting used to human contact deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he got a little too close for comfort to the group's alpha male, Mpungwe.
Djenguet met the silverback at the invitation of conservationists in DR Congo's Kahuzi-Biega National Park as he documented a process called habituation, which involves tracking and following the primate and his family through the 2,317 sq mile (6,000 sq km) forest.
The ultimate aim of habituation is to save the species from extinction. If successful, tourists will be able to visit the family, which will raise income to help protect the gorillas and their habitat.
Silverback will be broadcast on Sunday 7 January at 21:00 GMT on BBC Two. Or catch up afterwards on BBC iPlayer.
