We’d been hearing rumors of baby gorillas for sale in Goma for several weeks. When these rumors are true it means, at the very least, that the mother of the infant gorilla in question was killed. And it is even more likely that other gorillas in the family also lost their lives trying desperately to protect that baby. All this so that someone could have a baby gorilla as a pet, which is tragic. Many times though, these rumors turn out to be just that – a rumor, or someone is trying to get money by claiming they have a gorilla for sale. Rumor or not, we Gorilla Doctors must always be ready when we get the news that there may be a confiscation because when there really is a confiscation, these little gorillas are very stressed, frightened and sometimes badly injured or very ill.

Last Friday morning we learned that there was a young gorilla in Walikale DRC, which is a plane flight north and west of Goma. After a flurry of phone calls, texts and emails in rapid succession, information was sketchy at best – we didn’t know the age or gender of the gorilla. We didn’t know how long he or she had been in human care or the physical condition of the individual. What we did know was that Walikale is considered a “red zone” – a dangerous area of DRC where army and rebels often clash. But we needed to try to rescue this helpless little gorilla. Our partners in DRC scrambled to put together the finances and a team for the confiscation. We needed officials familiar with the area and the permission of the Congolese wildlife authority, the Institut Congo pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). With the help of the Union of Associations for Gorilla Conservation and Community Development in eastern DRC (UGADEC) and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) in Congo, a plan was made. Dr. Eddy boarded an airplane Friday afternoon so that he could be there to assess this little gorilla once it was confiscated. A UGADEC official would follow on the next flight (the first flight only had room for Dr. Eddy).

Unfortunately, the weather was very bad in Walikale. I got a text from Dr. Eddy that was quite alarming – “Weather bad, plane tried to land and could not. Will try again soon.” Turns out that in Walikale the airplanes must land on the streets because there is no runway. I was worried, but about 30 minutes later I got the good news that Dr. Eddy had landed safely. However the UGADEC official’s flight was cancelled on Friday, so Dr. Eddy had to spend the night in Walikale. The next day was complicated and somewhat alarming. Dr. Eddy described that there were political demonstrations in the town, military were present and the situation was tense. While Dr. Eddy waited at the airport, UGADEC officials and local authorities were able to talk with local chiefs to get support for the confiscation, and in the late afternoon a frightened infant gorilla was finally delivered to Dr. Eddy. She is only about 1 year old, but in amazingly good condition. Dr. Eddy stayed with her all night in his hotel room, and early the next morning they got on an airplane and headed to Goma.

Here is Dr. Eddy taking the frightened little gorilla out of her travel crate. 

Sandy Jones, the MGVP/DFGFI Manager of Confiscated Gorilla Care, and I were in Goma when Dr. Eddy and the little gorilla arrived. She was so very frightened. He took her out of the travel crate and sat her on the ground to see if she would like to explore, but she was so tense she could only lie in a ball in the grass.

Clutching the shirt she had been given the day before as her only source of security, the frightened little gorilla just laid on the ground in a tense ball. 

Maternal instincts kicked in, and I scooped her up into my arms. She didn’t understand at all, and immediately began biting and struggling, but I sat quietly making gorilla calming noises. I groomed her arms and head, and within minutes she quieted. Still quite tense and clutching her shirt, but beginning to calm down. We sat and rocked, and I groomed her and continued to make calming gorilla noises while Sandy went to prepare food and organize things for this new arrival. Slowly the little gorilla relaxed, although any slight move or sound and she tensed, clutching the shirt and holding her hands and feet tight to her body. We rocked and rocked, groomed and talked. She finally unwound enough and reached for a bit of pineapple – that small victory felt wonderful.

She loved pineapple!

She sat quietly as I listened to her chest.

Once she had relaxed a bit I needed to give her an examination, to be sure she did not have any serious underlying injury or disease. She allowed me to listen to her heart and lungs, with some trepidation. Much to my satisfaction her heart and lungs were normal. She was not very happy when I tried to look at her belly, but finally allowed me after some coaxing. Body temperature was another thing entirely! I was glad to see she was strong and had an opinion about it – we took her temperature in her armpit rather than the other way…. She was checking out just fine. She was a little dehydrated, and her hair was matted with banana and feces. She had some superficial wounds where the rope had been attached to her waist and wrists, but these will heal. She was given some medicine to get rid of any internal parasites she might have, and we took a small sample of her feces for analysis. Now the task is to get her settled into her new home. She will be in quarantine, away from other gorillas, for a month – we want to be sure Mapendo, Amani and Kighoma do not get sick. New caregivers were assigned, and they will only be with our new little girl. They will stay with her day and night to give her love, care and consistency in her life again.

Dr. Eddy and head caregiver Jean Paul met with the new caregivers.

After her exam we played a bit, and then she finally relaxed enough to get sleepy.

After the examination, and after spending some quiet time with her, I was comfortable that our little patient’s health status was relatively good. Reluctantly, I knew it was time for me to hand her over to Sandy and the other caregivers, and head back to MGVP headquarters.

Sleepy gorilla hand-off!

Getting to know Sandy.

This little gorilla is safe now. Once we are sure she is healthy she will be introduced to Mapendo, Amani and Kighoma so that she can have a new gorilla family. In the meantime, she will be in the loving hands of her new caregivers at all times, and will learn to trust again, but it will take time and patience.

Exhaustion finally won and she slept peacefully.

Help the Gorilla Doctors.

---