Are Gorillas Dangerous to People?

Generally, gorillas are very shy and reserved towards people. They will attack only if they are surprised or threatened or if a person behaves in the wrong way. If the human makes an unexpected movement, the silverback male can react with horrific roaring and bluff charges. This means that he runs straight to the victim with great speed and stops just in front of him, sometimes at a distance of only 1 m. If the person then behaves submissively by crouching down and looking at the ground, he has nothing to fear. However, if he runs away instead, the excited gorilla is provoked even further: He will follow the fugitive and bite him into the body part he can seize first, most frequently a leg or buttock. The result of such an attack usually is a deep wound.