Guardians of a New Beginning

Guardians of a New Beginning By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, May 29th, 2025 in Blog, Conservation in Action, Gorilla Health.

We are thrilled to announce that four adult female critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas have been successfully released into the wild in Virunga National Park! Gorilla Doctors played a significant role in this historic conservation achievement in collaboration with: GRACE, Virunga National Park, ICCN and Re:wild. It all began in 2003 when an infant Grauer’s gorilla was confiscated from […]

The Snare Rescue that Never Happened!

The Snare Rescue that Never Happened! By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, May 22nd, 2025 in Blog, Gorilla Health.

By Nelson Bukamba, field veterinarian, Uganda Last Friday as I was trekking through Bwindi on my way to administer deworming medication to silverback Kabukojo of Rushegura group, I received an urgent call from trackers. Six-year-old juvenile Bigorogoro in Mubare group was caught in a snare. Trackers said he was visibly distressed and emitting high-pitched screams […]

Notes from the Forest: Checking on Mutobo Group

silverback mountain gorilla By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, July 9th, 2024 in Blog, Gorilla Health.

By Dr. Adrien Emile Ntwari, Field Veterinarian, Rwanda Welcome to my first “Notes from the Forest” where we share our latest field updates on the health of endangered mountain gorillas and critically endangered Grauer’s (eastern lowland) gorillas. Where I work in Volcanoes National Park, on the Rwanda side of the Virunga Massif, we monitor the […]

When Gorillas ‘Rescue’ Themselves

When Gorillas 'Rescue' Themselves By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 in Blog, Gorilla Health.

On the morning of February 19, Dr. Lina hiked out from our Tshivanga field station at Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DR Congo. It was a little before 9:00AM, and she was planning a routine health check of Bonane group, a family of nine critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas led by silverback Bonane. Not far into the forest, […]

Busy Boy Bonane – A Newborn Grauer’s Gorilla

Busy Boy Bonane - A Newborn Grauer's Gorilla By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023 in Blog, Gorilla Health.

We are thrilled to announce a newborn Grauer’s gorilla in Bonane group at Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DR Congo. On Monday, Dr. Lina conducted a routine health check of the group and was delighted to see adult female Mukono holding her newborn (2-3 days old). Silverback Bonane has been busy! This is the second infant born […]

The Lonely Loved One

The Lonely Loved One By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, January 16th, 2023 in Blog, Gorilla Health.

By Dr. Gaspard Nzayisenga, field veterinarian, Rwanda During my health monitoring of Muhoza group on January 5, I was surprised to find Inkundwa, a lone silverback mountain gorilla, interacting with Muhoza group (led by silverback Muhoza). Apparently, there had been a fight early that morning before our arrival, which resulted in a couple of minor […]

Chew On This: Personalized Health Care for Mountain Gorillas

Chew On This: Personalized Health Care for Mountain Gorillas By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, October 20th, 2022 in Gorilla Health, Press Releases.

Scientists Rule Out Human Herpesvirus in Endangered Gorillas With Help From Chewed Plants Republished with permission from UC Davis News By Kat Kerlin, UC Davis A mountain gorilla walks in the forest of East Africa’s Virunga Volcanoes conservation area. It stops at a piece of wild celery, sits down, and begins to chew. It strips […]

A Possible COVID-19 Silver Lining for Great Ape Conservation

Mountain gorilla family. By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, February 10th, 2022 in Gorilla Health, Press Releases, Research.

Respiratory Health of Wild Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda Improved Since Start of Pandemic Respiratory illness outbreaks among wild mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park have declined since the start of COVID-19, according to a “Correspondence” report in the journal Nature from Gorilla Doctors and the Rwanda Development Board. Mountain gorillas are susceptible to human-transmitted respiratory pathogens. […]

Press Release: Conservation Success Leads to New Challenges for Endangered Mountain Gorillas

Press Release: Conservation Success Leads to New Challenges for Endangered Mountain Gorillas By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, May 25th, 2021 in Gorilla Health, Press Releases, Research.

A scientific study published today in Scientific Reports suggests that new health challenges may be emerging as a result of conservationists’ success in pulling mountain gorillas back from the brink of extinction. The study, the first ever species-wide survey of parasite infections across the entire range of the mountain gorilla, was conducted by an international […]

Captive western lowland gorillas proven susceptible to COVID-19

Captive western lowland gorillas proven susceptible to COVID-19 By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, January 12th, 2021 in Blog, Gorilla Health.

Today (January 12, 2021) it was announced that multiple western lowland gorillas at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park (in Escondido, California) tested positive for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. To date, no wild, human-habituated eastern gorilla has tested positive for coronavirus. Scientific research conducted by Gorilla Doctors and collaborators has shown […]