Gorilla Doctors Participates in World Wildlife Day

An enjoyable and important part of Gorilla Doctors’ work comes in the form of helping educate local communities about the health of mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last month, our Gorilla Doctors team helped celebrate World Wildlife Day in Uganda. The celebration was at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center Zoo in Entebbe. Gorilla Doctors participated in a mobile exhibit that featured Makerere University students clad in gorilla suits, who travelled from the Ruth Keesling Wildlife Health Education and Research Center at Makerere to the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) in Entebbe. Students from Nkumba University performed skits aimed at educating attendees about the dangers of snares and bushmeat consumption. Community members were able to tour UWEC to view the animals, many of whom had been confiscated from poachers. UWEC’s goal was to teach locals to avoid taking the law into their own hands to kill wildlife, but instead, to work with wildlife authorities to rescue wildlife when possible. The celebration ended with students singing a wildlife song called “This is the Message,” which was composed by Mr. Howard Onyuth, a second-year student in the Wildlife Health & Management program at Makerere University.

We hope you enjoy the photos, which speak a thousand words about Uganda’s appreciation for wildlife and its dedication to wildlife conservation!