The phone rang at 1am, which almost never happens here. It was Sandy, who was staying in Goma, DRC with Ndjingala, our newest Grauer’s gorilla who had been confiscated only a week earlier. Sandy was almost in tears. She had been trying to call and text me for 2 hours but the network was down. Ndjingala had been vomiting since 11pm.

Emergencies are always tense, but this was an especially difficult situation. I was in Rwanda and my patient was in Congo. The border was closed until 6am and the phone network was sketchy. As I cleared my head of sleep I started asking Sandy the questions that would help me decide my next move. Was Ndjingala alert and responsive? What was coming up when she vomited? What was her behavior last evening? When was her last meal? Sandy filled me in, and I became less alarmed. Ndjingala was alert and responsive, vomiting about every hour or so and sleeping in between bouts. She had not eaten well the day before and had been burping a lot. She was still not drinking any liquids well, and had not urinated or defecated for a day or so. I knew we had to examine her, but was feeling more comfortable that she was just going through a bad gastric upset; much like my kids did when they were little. On top of that she was probably quite dehydrated, which was more worrisome than the vomiting.

I tried to call Drs. Eddy and Jacques, our Congolese veterinarians, to make a plan, but it took me almost an hour to get through to them. After much discussion we decided that Dr. Jacques would go to the border at 5 to make sure Dr. Mike and I could get across immediately when we arrived. Dr. Eddy would meet us at the facility where Sandy and Ndgingala were staying. I woke up Dr. Mike to fill him in, and after packing the medical bags we caught another hour or two of sleep before leaving MGVP headquarters at 5am. Sandy called or texted me each hour with an update, as the network allowed. By 4am we learned that Ndjingala had stopped vomiting and was resting, but still clearly uncomfortable.

When we arrived at the quarantine facility, Ndjingala was resting on Sandy’s lap. She was alert and responsive, but looked like she felt terrible.

Sandy with Ndjingala, who was feeling pretty crummy. 

Dr. Eddy prepared the anesthetic injection while Drs. Mike, Jacques and I prepared the examination table and the gas anesthetic we would use to supplement the injection. The poor little gorilla was so dehydrated that we knew she needed IV fluids at the very least. While she was resting in Sandy’s arms Dr. Eddy gave Ndjingala a quick injection. She barely noticed, she felt so crummy. She went to sleep quickly and we Gorilla Doctors began our work. A thorough examination told us she was indeed very dehydrated – her gums were dry, her skin was dry, her stomach empty. She had blood collected for evaluation, fluids delivered through a vein, an antibiotic injection was delivered and within 30 minutes we were finished and she was allowed to wake up from anesthesia.

Drs. Mike, Jan, and Eddy working to get samples and deliver fluids as Ndjingala slept. 

Dr. Mike doing a thorough examination. 

The cuts on her hips from the rope around her waist were healing well. 

Waking up from anesthesia with a little oxygen to help her along. 

Once Ndjingala was awake, Sandy sat with her for the next few hours, watching carefully for improvement or deterioration in her condition. Drs. Jacques, Eddy, Mike and I withdrew to cause the little girl as little stress as possible, and Sandy kept us informed throughout the day. The first good news came about 2 hours after we left – Ndjingala was feeling MUCH better, eating a small amount and keeping it down, exploring her enclosure a bit, and in general looking stronger. The BEST news came that evening when Sandy sent me a text that Ndjingala was urinating normally and had passed a very large, very dry fecal! Mission accomplished – fluid therapy success!! YAY!!

The next few days went well. Ndjingala steadily improved, and Sandy began shifting the bulk of care giving responsibility to her new Congolese caregiver. We thought we were out of the woods… Alas, Sandy called me 5 days after our examination to report that now Ndjingala had a terrible cold. She was coughing so much that she could not sleep at night, and had such a snotty nose that she could not breath well. On top of that she had stopped eating well, and was at risk for another bout of severe dehydration. Poor baby! Once again Gorilla Doctors made a trip to Goma to examine our newest patient. The good news was that she was feeling well enough to push my hand away when I tried to listen to her chest – a little attitude it good! The bad news was that she had a fever, a very stuffy nose, and a very bad cough. Her chest was clear though, so the virus had not turned into pneumonia yet.

Ndjingala allowed me to listen to her chest as long as Sandy was holding her.

She needed to be treated as any small child with a bad cold. Anyone with small children knows this story, but it was so much more difficult to treat Ndjingala than a human child. She absolutely hated her decongestant. So much so that it was more stressful to give it to her than to let her cough. She took her antibiotics, but hated her ibuprofen. We really wanted to get her fever down so she would feel better and begin to eat and drink liquids again, so we experimented with what was available in the local pharmacy, and finally found some acetaminophen (Tylenol) that she liked. Poor Sandy was making frequent trips to the store to find foods and juices Ndjingala would take – it was really important to keep her eating and drinking. I’m afraid she got a little spoiled during this illness…but we did what it took to get her treated!

Ndjingala foraging for peanuts with MGVP consultant Dr. Donna Shettko, who is a veterinarian and physicians assistant (good combination for help with a sick gorilla!).

At the end of the week I got the best call I’ve ever gotten from Sandy. Ndjingala was feeling so much better that she laughed for the first time! She was playing with her toys, wanting to be tickled and climbing on her climbing structure! We were all very relieved. Now it seems she might really be out of the woods.

Starting to feel better and enjoying a tickle.

Exploring her enclosure after her exam.

Sandy is always “home base” for Ndjingala.

Next week Ndjingala will be introduced to Amani, Mapendo and Kighoma, provided she remains healthy. She was named after the place from which she was taken, which is sort of ironic. At least the name of her birthplace will stay with her as she navigates her new human dominated world. Once again her strong spirit prevailed, and she is finally doing very well. Playing and laughing, snuggling next to her caregiver at night, being a gorilla.

One happy gorilla baby. Finally.

Help the Gorilla Doctors.

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