Ron Magill

It's measured by the number of times your breath is taken away. And when you have a lion like that standing literally 10, 15 feet in front of you, staring right at you like that, and it's just got this incredible look. I mean, just the light and the smell of the Okavango Delta at sunrise. Man, I'll tell you, I remember that photograph very well. It really made quite an impression on me.

But anyway, go ahead.

But anyway, go ahead.

I was actually, you know, one of my dreams. Dan, growing up, I used to watch the National Geographic specials, and I'll never forget watching Diane Fossey in the Virunga volcanoes with these mountain gorillas coming up to her, being able to be next to them. This is an animal that, you know, so many people have this preconceived notion that it's King Kong.

I was actually, you know, one of my dreams. Dan, growing up, I used to watch the National Geographic specials, and I'll never forget watching Diane Fossey in the Virunga volcanoes with these mountain gorillas coming up to her, being able to be next to them. This is an animal that, you know, so many people have this preconceived notion that it's King Kong.

It's this massive, you know, aggressive, dangerous animal. And yet I saw this gentle giant with Diane Fossey, and I always dreamed about seeing that myself. And this was the first time I was able to go to Rwanda into the Virunga volcanoes. And I was sitting there watching this incredible troop of mountain gorillas when one of them came right up to me.

It's this massive, you know, aggressive, dangerous animal. And yet I saw this gentle giant with Diane Fossey, and I always dreamed about seeing that myself. And this was the first time I was able to go to Rwanda into the Virunga volcanoes. And I was sitting there watching this incredible troop of mountain gorillas when one of them came right up to me.

Now, you're supposed to keep a 15 foot distance between you and the gorillas because you don't want to have anything, you know, transmit to the animals. There's zoonotic diseases where you can give something a cold or something to the animal. You're not supposed to be on the mountain anyway if you have any kind of sickness. But anyway. you try to keep your distance.

Now, you're supposed to keep a 15 foot distance between you and the gorillas because you don't want to have anything, you know, transmit to the animals. There's zoonotic diseases where you can give something a cold or something to the animal. You're not supposed to be on the mountain anyway if you have any kind of sickness. But anyway. you try to keep your distance.

But if the gorilla comes to you, you do not turn and run. What you have to do is you just kind of get into the fetal position. Don't look at the gorilla. Don't make any threatening moves or sounds. There's a sound that you do make to calm the gorilla down. It kind of goes... The guides make that sound, and that's kind of a comforting sound to the gorillas.

But if the gorilla comes to you, you do not turn and run. What you have to do is you just kind of get into the fetal position. Don't look at the gorilla. Don't make any threatening moves or sounds. There's a sound that you do make to calm the gorilla down. It kind of goes... The guides make that sound, and that's kind of a comforting sound to the gorillas.

So I'm sitting there going, and this gorilla king sat right next to me. And all of a sudden, she leaned over to me, and with her lips, she just tugged on my earlobe. And I can feel her. She's breathing in my nose. She goes... And you feel that, and it's just such an electricity there.

So I'm sitting there going, and this gorilla king sat right next to me. And all of a sudden, she leaned over to me, and with her lips, she just tugged on my earlobe. And I can feel her. She's breathing in my nose. She goes... And you feel that, and it's just such an electricity there.

And I'm honestly telling you that I never thought for one second she was going to kill me or she was going to hurt me. I just couldn't believe I was there. And I took my camera. I had a wide-angle lens on it. I just took a blind shot, not looking at this. I can't look at the gorilla. That's a threat. You can't look at these primates that way. It's a threat. And I just took a shot.

And I'm honestly telling you that I never thought for one second she was going to kill me or she was going to hurt me. I just couldn't believe I was there. And I took my camera. I had a wide-angle lens on it. I just took a blind shot, not looking at this. I can't look at the gorilla. That's a threat. You can't look at these primates that way. It's a threat. And I just took a shot.

And I have this shot. You can't really see my face, but you can see the gorilla right next to me, this wide-angle lens. And it's just one of those moments again, Dan, where you just can't pay me enough to forget that moment of this incredible, majestic animal. sitting gently next to me and curiously just kind of investigating my earlobe with her lips. It was just phenomenal.

And I have this shot. You can't really see my face, but you can see the gorilla right next to me, this wide-angle lens. And it's just one of those moments again, Dan, where you just can't pay me enough to forget that moment of this incredible, majestic animal. sitting gently next to me and curiously just kind of investigating my earlobe with her lips. It was just phenomenal.

You know, Dan, I don't know. I just think it's my fascination and my wonder that overrides the fear. You know, I've never... I've never, you know, the only time I was ever really frightened, and I told that story before, is when that elephant came at us in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. That was something that I knew I could really be in trouble.

You know, Dan, I don't know. I just think it's my fascination and my wonder that overrides the fear. You know, I've never... I've never, you know, the only time I was ever really frightened, and I told that story before, is when that elephant came at us in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. That was something that I knew I could really be in trouble.

And I thought for, I really thought for a while that I was not going to live through that. But, you know, any other thing, I understand the gorillas are these gentle giants. And this was not a male that came up to me. It was a female. And females are much more inquisitive. They're much less aggressive. You know, the male might tend to be aggressive if he feels you're threatening the troop.