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NATURAL BEHAVIOR PATTERN.
THEY ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO
HUMANS AND CAN CATCH OUR
ILLNESSES.
WE ARE REQUIRED TO STAY 21 FEET
AWAY FROM THEM AT ALL TIMES.
BUT TH
E GORILLAS DON'T EXACTLY
PAY ATTENTION TO THE RULES.
BUT IF THEY WANT TO GET CLOSER,
THEY CAN GET CLOSER.
WE ARE ABLE TO WITNESS SOME
FAMILIAR BEHAVIORS.
EATING, FORAGING, SOCIALIZING,
MOTHERING, PATIENCE, AND EVEN
IMPATIENCE AS THE GIANT MALE
SILVERBACK GETS ANNOYED THAT
SOME OF OUR GROUP MEMBERS SEEM
TO BE IN HIS WAY.
THE BABIES ARE JUST AS INTRIGUED
BY US AS WE ARE BY THEM.
>> LOOK AT THIS LITTLE GUY.
JUST WALKED RIGHT BY US AND HE
DOESN'T CARE THAT WE'RE HERE.
>> WE NEVER FELT LIKE WE WERE IN
DANGER.
OUR TRACKERS SEEMED TO SPEAK
GORILLA.
IF THE SILVERBACK BEGAN
COMMUNICATING WITH GRUNTS, THEY
SEEMED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE
WAS SAYING AND TOLD US WHAT TO
DO.
MOVE BACK, CIRCLE AROUND OR JUST
SIMPLY QUIET DOWN.
>> WE'RE HERE WITH THE HYLA
GROUP ON THE SIDE OF THE
VOLCANO.
THIS IS KABATWA, A FEMALE WITH
TWIN
BABIES.
VERY UNUSUAL EVENT TO HAVE
TWINS.
>> THE RWANDA CONSERVATION
INDIVIDUALS CREATED THE
EXPERIENCE SO ECOTOURISM CAN
THRIVE ARE TO BE COMMENDED FOR
THEIR DEDICATION TO THE
MAGNIFICENT ANIMALS AND THEIR
UNIQUE HABITAT.
IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE MILLIONS
OF TOURIST DOLLARS COMING IN FOR
THIS EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME,
GORILLA HABITAT WOULD HAVE
TURNED TO FARMLAND YEARS AGO.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHY GED BRINGS
THE ECOTOURS HERE TO SUPPORT
GORILLA CONSERVATION AND THE
RWANDA ECONOMY.
BEFORE WE LEAVE, GED TAKES US TO
VISIT RWANDAEN SCHOOLCHILDREN.
MOST FAMILIES L
IVE ON JUST
$2 PER DAY, BUT THESE ARE SOME
OF THE HAPPIEST AND MOST
INSPIRING CHILDREN I'VE EVER
MET.
THEY DON'T HAVE RUNNING WATER OR
ELECTRICITY, BUT THEY ARE SO
EAGER TO LEARN AND EXUDE A JOY
THAT JUST CAN'T BE DESCRIBED.
OKAY.
SO I FELL IN LOVE WITH RWANDAN
WILDLIFE AND THE PEOPLE.
GED HAS TAKEN HIS ECOTOURS ALL
OVER THE WORLD.
RWANDA HAPPENS TO BE HIS
FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET,
AND I CAN SEE WHY.
>>Cyndi: REALLY WONDERFUL.
KELLY DIEDRING-HARRIS JOINS US
NOW ALONG WITH GED CADDICK,
FOUNDER OF TERRA INCOGNITA
ECOTOURS.
SO FAR HIS COMPANY HAS DONATED
MORE THAN $125,000 TO CHARITIES
IN MORE THAN SEVEN COUNTRIES.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>>Lindsay: IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE
YOU HERE.
>> IT'S OUR PLEASURE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
>>Cyndi: HOW MANY OF THOSE
GORILLAS ARE LEFT?
>> ABOUT 800 GORILLAS, MOUNTAIN
GORILLAS.
THEY ARE ONE OF THE MOST
ENDANGERED MAMMALS IN THE WORLD
AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SEE THEM.
I ENCOURAGE ANYBODY WHO GETS
THAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO SEE THE
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS.
>>Lindsay: AND THEY COME THAT
CLOSE TO YOU.
IT'S NOT YOU MOVING ON
-- MOVING
IN ON THEM, PER SE.
>> THERE IS A STRICT REQUIREMENT
THAT YOU ARE TO STAY 21 FEET
AWAY FROM THEM.
THE RWANDAN GOVERNMENT SETS THE
RULES.
IT'S USUALLY THE BABIES THAT ARE
JUST INTERESTED.
>>Cyndi: WHAT AN AMAZING TRIP.
WAS IT LIFE CHANGING FOR YOU?
>> IT REALLY WAS.
I HAD BEEN TO AFRICA BEFORE, BUT
NEVER TO RWANDA.
LIKE I SAY IN THE VIDEO THERE, I
FELL IN LOVE WITH THE PEOPLE, AS
MUCH AS I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE
WILDLIFE.
I DON'T TYPICALLY FALL IN LOVE
WITH PEOPLE.
I'M MORE OF AN ANIMAL PERSON
THAT, YOU KNOW, I MET GED AND
HIS ECOTOURS JUST INSPIRED ME
BECAUSE
HIS BUSINESS MODEL ISN'T
BASED ON HOW MUCH HE EARNS.
IT'S BASED ON HOW MUCH HE GIVES
BACK.
>>Cyndi: IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE
WHAT YOU DO.
>> THANK YOU.
>>Cyndi: THIS ALL CAME FROM YOUR
LOVE OF WILDLIFE, OBVIOUSLY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>>Cyndi: BUT YOU STARTED A
BUSINESS, NOT TO MAKE MONEY, BUT
TO GIVE IT ALL AWAY.
HOW DID THAT WORK?
>> WE WANT TO MAKE A LITTLE
MONEY.
I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE IT SEEM
LIKE WE'RE RUNNING THE BUSINESS
INTO THE GROUND.
AS LONG AS WE'RE MAKING MONEY,
THEN WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE BACK.
WE REALLY BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT WE GIVE BACK TO THE PLACES
WE VISIT, BECAUSE THEY ARE
HOSTING US, IF YOU WILL.
SO PART KIND OF RESPONSIBLE
TOURISM IS
TO GIVE BACK TO THE
PLACE YOU VISIT.
>>Lindsay: YOU REALLY DO IN SO
MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
I WAS READING ON YOUR WEB SITE,
SOME PEOPLE, THEY WANT TO CARRY
THEIR OWN BACK PACKS WHEN YOU'RE
GOING ON A DAY HIKE.
BUT RATHER THAN DO THAT, YOU'LL
HIRE PORTERS BECAUSE IT GIVES
BACK TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE CAN HIRE A PORTER TO CARRY
YOUR BAG FOR $10 A DAY, WHICH
MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR THE
LOCAL FAMILY.
FOR US, THAT'S NOT EVEN
STARBUCKS AND A MOVIE BUT WE CAN
FEED A WHOLE FAMILY.
IF EVERYONE USES A PORTER,
WE'RE
SUPPORTING 10, 20 LOCAL
FAMILIES.
>>Lindsay: RESPONSIBLE ECOTOUR
COMPANY AS WELL.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> I LOVE WHEN WE WERE THERE,
THERE WERE UK TOURIST WHOSE SAID
WE CAN CARRY OUR OWN BAG, WE
DON'T NEED TO HIRE A PORTER.
BECAUSE OF WHAT GED TAUGHT US,
WE EXPLAINED TO THEM, YEAH, WE
CAN CARRY OUR OWN BAGS, TOO, BUT
YOU'RE GOING TO FEED HIS FAMILY
FOR MAYBE A WEEK BY JUST HIRING
HIM.
ACTUALLY, THE PORTERS HOLD ON TO
YOU.
SOME OF THE TERRAIN IS ROUGH.
THEY KIND OF SAVED MY REAR END A
FEW TIMES BECAUSE IT'S MUDDY.
THEY HOLD ON TO YOU AND MAKE
SURE YOU DON'T FALL.
>>Cyndi: GED, WHO IS TAKING TH
E
TOURS, AND WHAT IS INCLUDED WHEN
YOU GO ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS?
>> WELL, WE GET PEOPLE MOSTLY
FROM NORTH AMERICA, BUT ALSO
BRITISH, AUSTRALIAN, BRAZILIAN,
PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
COME ON OUR ECHO TOURS TO RWANDA
OR I UNDERSTAND -- ECOTOURS TO
RWANDA OR INDIA OR DIFFERENT
DESTINATIONS.
MOSTLY COLLEGE EDUCATED --
>>Cyndi: ALL AGES?
>> ALL AGES.
FOR RWANDA, THAT'S THE ONLY
COUNTRY WHERE WE HAVE TO HAVE AN
AGE RESTRICTION BECAUSE YOU HAVE
TO BE 15 OR OLDER TO VISIT THE
GORILLAS.
EVERYWHERE ELSE, WE WELCOME
CHILDREN.
WE DON'T
REALLY GET MANY.
IT'S A BIG EXPENSE FOR A FAMILY
TO BRING THEIR CHILDREN.
>>Lindsay: OF COURSE.
IS IT A BIGGER EXPENSE BECAUSE
THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF THE
COMPANY THAT GIVES BACK?
>> WELL, THAT'S PART OF IT.
BECAUSE WE INCLUDE THAT DONATION
IN THE TRIP COST.
BUT SOMETHING LIKE THE GORILLA
TRACKING, PERMITS ARE $750 PER
PERSON PER DAY JUST TO GO VISIT
THE GORILLAS.
SO THAT MAKES THE TRIP ALREADY
TAKE A LEAP.
>>Cyndi: I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
SAFETY.
DID YOU FEEL SAFE WHEN YOU WERE
THERE?
>> I FELT INCREDIBLY SAFE.
WHEN I TOLD MY FAMILY I WAS
GOING TO RWANDA, THEY ALL
GOOGLED IT TO SEE.
I FELT VERY SAFE.
GED, ALL OF HIS TOURS ARE VERY
SAFE.
THE REASON PEOPLE SEEK OUT HIS
TOURS ARE PEOPLE WHO DO WANT TO
GIVE BACK BUT THEY ARE PLACES
YOU WOULDN'T GO ON YOUR OWN.
YOU GO WITH A COMPANY LIKE
ECOTOURS AND YOU FEEL SAFER AND
YOU REALLY ARE.
HE PRETTY MUCH KNOWS THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY OF RWANDA, KENYA AND
EVERYWHERE ELSE.
>>Cyndi: HE KNOWS HIS WAY AROUND
THE WORLD.
THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
I HOPE MORE PEOPLE EXPERIENCE AN
ECOTOUR.
>> BEFORE WE GO, WE WANT TO
LEAVE YOU A LITTLE FLAVOR OF
RWANDA FOR THE SHOW.
>>Cyndi: SILVERBACK GORILLA.
>> WE PICKED IT UP RIGHT IN
RWANDA.
>>Cyndi: MARVELOUS.
KELLY DIEDRING-HARRIS, AND GED
CADDICK, FOUNDER OF TERRA