MGVP Receives $30,000 in Donated Veterinary Equipment from Germany

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, March 29th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

As always, we are grateful to our generous friends who offer their expertise and donate equipment to help the Gorilla Doctors expand their knowledge and toolbox. Last month, Bärbel Köhler, the Business Development Manager for Abaxis, a supplier of veterinary diagnostic equipment, visited our offices in Musanze, Rwanda, to deliver $30,000 worth of donations to […]

Keeping Gorillas Healthy by Keeping People Healthy

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 in Uncategorized.

MGVP approaches gorilla medicine from a “One Health” perspective—a belief that the health of the gorillas is inextricably linked to that of the entire ecosystem, including humans and other animal species. Research studies show that gorillas can become ill and even die as a result of coming into contact with zoonotic diseases transmitted by people […]

The Saga of Silverback Inshuti

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

By Dr. Dawn InshutiIt’s been a difficult 2012 thus far for Inshuti, a silverback gorilla in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.  Meaning “friend” in Kinyarwanda, Inshuti is considered one of the largest and most aggressive silverbacks within the Karisoke research groups, and he has endured his share of drama. Over the years, Inshuti has survived attacks […]

Veterinary Ophthalmologists Train Gorilla Doctors in Rwanda

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, March 15th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

In early March, veterinary ophthalmologists Drs. David Ramsey and Rick Quinn traveled to Rwanda to conduct a training workshop with the Gorilla Doctors. Dr. Ramsey owns and operates The Animal Ophthalmology Center in Williamston, Michigan, and Dr. Quinn practices at the Veterinary Eye Specialists of London, Ontario, and is an adjunct professor of ophthalmology at […]

MGVP Welcomes Gorilla Doctor Hameed

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 in Uncategorized.

The Gorilla Doctors would like to introduce our newest veterinarian, Dr. Abdulhameed Kateregga, or Dr. Hameed. Dr. Hameed joined our Ugandan staff this January to serve as the PREDICT field veterinarian in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National Parks and to assist Dr. Fred in the monitoring and care of Uganda’s mountain gorilla population. Dr. Fred […]

Mountain Gorilla Infant Dies in Poacher’s Snare

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, February 10th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

Dead infant gorilla with the snare still attached to his ankle.On February 1, a team of park rangers conducting an anti-poaching patrol in Africa’s Virunga Massif found the dead body of a critically-endangered mountain gorilla caught in a poachers’ snare. Veterinarians from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) performed a post mortem exam on the […]

Ten Things I Learned in the Forest

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

By Dr. Dawn Zimmerman After a few months of preparation, two weeks of sheer packing panic, and the world’s fastest transfer of a life’s worth of possessions from a home to a storage locker, I was finally on my way to Africa for my new job as MGVP’s regional veterinary manager. Thirty hours after leaving […]

Tree-Climbing Ihirwe Knocks Teeth Out After Falling

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, January 30th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

Ihirwe with Caretaker Innocent.Approaching the age of 2, orphan Ihirwe is quite a rambunctious little gorilla and grows bolder by the day. People passing by the MGVP’s gorilla quarantine facility in Kinigi even at a distance might glimpse Ihirwe scrambling in tree branches high above the ground. It’s amazing to think that a baby could […]

Silverback Kabirizi’s Role as King of Virunga Threatened

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 in Uncategorized.

Kabirizi eating with his family.This Blog was written by Dr. Eddy from Virunga National Park, DRC. On the morning January 20, I left the Bukima patrol post with a group of trackers to find Kabirizi group. Along the way we encountered the night nest of the silverback Mukunda, who still stays by himself in the […]

Improved Health Monitoring Tool Benefits Veterinarians and Gorillas

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 in Uncategorized.

Dr. Eddy observes a silverback in Humba group during a health check.By Molly Feltner, MGVP Communications Officer How do the Gorilla Doctors keep mountain gorillas healthy? The first step, and the foundation of our gorilla healthcare program, is gorilla health monitoring—visually observing the members of  gorilla groups on a regular basis to check for signs […]