Mountain Gorilla Susa Group in Rwanda with Rick LoBello 2003

The Susa Group was first discovered along the Susa River and was featured in the film Gorillas in the Mist. Originally studied by Dian Fossey, in 2014 it was the largest tourist group in the park with 37 members and the only surviving twin mountain gorillas. Kurira was the dominant silverback and the subdominant silverback was Igisha. All together there were three silverbacks in the group. In late 2009 the group split into two groups with Susa Group A having 27 members and Group B having 14. Group B is now called the Karisimbi Group. On April 18, 2012 Karisimbi split into two groups. As of May 2018 the Susa Group had 18 members, Karismibi had 10 and the new group called the Isimbi Group had 18 members. Like with all the gorilla groups they are normally easier to find during the months of March-May and September-December when bamboo shoots are available in the lower elevations of the park.