Garry Weber, CEO of Weber Financial Inc. and a very generous supporter of Gorilla Doctors, recently purchased a generator for our office in Goma, immensely changing the efficiency and efficacy of our work in the DR Congo. Our DRC team members are thrilled because they can now work uninterrupted during the frequent power outages in Goma, and our valuable field samples will stay frozen, protecting them from degradation. In addition, the generator will provide power for the local veterinary lab, ultimately contributing to greater capacity building in the region!

A message from Dr. Eddy Kambale:

“We have been in great need of a generator as a reliable back up power source at the Gorilla Doctors Goma office for some time. Our Goma office is joined with the Provincial Veterinary laboratory for the region and it is here that Dr. Martin and I write our field reports and store our frozen field samples, as well as various other animal vaccines and supplies. We also have an area where we can conduct small animal medical procedures in the office, surgical interventions on pets and other domestic animals, and conduct necropsies to determine the cause of death in deceased animals and collect samples for future research.

The lack of sufficient and reliable power in the region has been a major problem and is an ongoing challenge for the Goma veterinary lab. With the power going out on a regular basis, we were always running the risk of losing valuable samples that could contribute to important research in gorilla and wildlife conservation. Of course, trying to generate and send field reports with the power going out frequently was endlessly frustrating for the DR Congo team too. We’ve even had to conduct emergency surgery by headlight when one of the Congo bloodhounds recently swallowed a rock and was suffering from a life-threatening intestinal obstruction. Regional Manager Dr. Jan Ramer, Dr. Martin and I worked through the night with little light and fortunately, we were able to save the bloodhound’s life.

On behalf of the DRC team, I would like to say a huge thank you to Garry Weber. Through your generous gift, our DRC team now has a permanent power supply and we are very proud to join the worldwide work style. Your generosity has not only made a difference in the lives of our field team, but in eastern gorilla conservation as a whole. Be Blessed!”

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