After going missing from his group for three days, trackers finally found silverback Giraneza on May 7, 2017. By then he was already showing signs of being ill.

A veterinary assessment conducted by our veterinarians two days later revealed that he had a mild upper respiratory infection as well as a moderate gastrointestinal parasite load. A team mobilized to evaluate his health status the following morning and to determine if medical action would be needed in the event his health continued to deteriorate.

On May 10, Giraneza was observed feeding for about an hour but trembling in his movement showed his body was weak. Eventually he lay on the ground and became unresponsive; he did not even look up at the people passing around him. A medical intervention was deemed necessary.

The following day he was found still in his night nest. Our team administered antibiotics, pain killers, and antiparasitics via three darts. Giraneza was alert but less responsive to the point where he could not even remove the darts himself once the drugs had been administered. He also appeared to be hypothermic with observable trembling and visble lethargy. It was clear his prognosis was poor.

On May 12, trackers found Giraneza moribund in the morning, and he died shortly after. His carcass was brought to our lab and a post-morem examination was performed by our team and Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International staff. Giraneza’s body was in moderate condition but had been anorexic for a few days from poor feeding rates. Based on the examination, the gross diagnosis is pneumonia with severe pleuritis. Further tests will be conducted to confirm the findings.

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