While his prolific mating is a clear sign of the king's success, this unique gorilla's extensive family tree grew out of tragic circumstances.

Decades of research, tracking gorillas day by day through the Virunga Mountains, has shown that they are basically gentle creatures with individual personalities and rich social lives.

It was from a small hut in Rwanda that researcher and conservationist Dian Fossey observed that while gorillas may sometimes act tough, they are really gentle giants.