World Wildlife Day 2021

World Wildlife Day 2021 By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021 in Blog.

“On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March – the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973 – as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals […]

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.

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 […]

Update: Intervention to Treat Lead Silverback of Hirwa Group

Update: Intervention to Treat Lead Silverback of Hirwa Group By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, May 29th, 2020 in Blog.

On March 28th, Dr. Fred first treated Uburanga, the lead silverback of Hirwa group, for mild respiratory illness. In the following days of monitoring, Uburanga’s resipiratory signs resolved but he was mildly lame in his right leg. Dr. Fred administered a second dose of antibiotics on March 31st and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park rangers continued […]

Tracking Forward: A Note from our Executive Director

Tracking Forward: A Note from our Executive Director By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, May 22nd, 2020 in Blog.

“Dian, if ever you are going to contact gorillas, you must follow their tracks to where they are going rather than backtrack trails to where they’ve been.” ~ Alan Root, photographer This quote comes from Dian Fossey’s book, Gorillas in the Mist, as she recalled Alan’s gorilla tracking advice. It was January 6, 1967 and […]

Did you Know (Part 2 of 4): Keeping Gorillas Healthy Everyday

Did you Know (Part 2 of 4): Keeping Gorillas Healthy Everyday By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 in Blog.

34…365…24…7…679…300…45…91…1/2 These numbers add up to a big win for mountain gorilla conservation. Keep reading to find out how… In Part 2 of our 4-part series, we show you the heart of our work – providing life-saving veterinary care for ill or injured wild eastern gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo – and the […]

Did you Know (Part 1 of 4): Gorilla Doctors + COVID-19

Did you Know (Part 1 of 4): Gorilla Doctors + COVID-19 By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, April 16th, 2020 in Blog.

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, Gorilla Doctors has been reporting on our work to protect the health of the world’s endangered mountain and critically endangered eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorillas. Our veterinary care is considered an ‘essential service’ by the governments of Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo […]

Gorilla Doctors Treat Lead Silverback of Hirwa Group

Gorilla Doctors Treat Lead Silverback of Hirwa Group By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, April 3rd, 2020 in Blog.

On March 28th and again on the 31st, Dr. Fred treated Uburanga, the dominant silverback of Hirwa group, for mild illness. We are happy to report he is recovering and returning to normal levels of activity. Here is a summary of his case and Dr. Fred’s interventions: Hirwa group is originally from Volcanoes National Park, […]

Our Work Continues

Our Work Continues By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, March 27th, 2020 in Blog.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of Gorilla Doctors and our monitoring of gorilla health has become more important than ever as we are the only organization in the world dedicated to providing veterinary care to ill or injured eastern gorillas (mountain and Grauer’s). Together with government wildlife authorities we continue our […]

A Letter from the Executive Director: COVID-19

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Sunday, March 15th, 2020 in Blog.

Dear Friends and Supporters, Last week, I attended and presented at the UC Davis One Health Institute annual meeting. As you can imagine, the coronavirus pandemic was a major focus. The One Health Institute, Gorilla Doctors’ administrative home at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, has been at the forefront of international surveillance and […]

Coronavirus and Disease: How You Can Help Protect Mountain Gorillas

Coronavirus and Disease: How You Can Help Protect Mountain Gorillas By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, February 27th, 2020 in Blog.

The Coronavirus (COVID) outbreak is naturally of serious concern and we have received some questions about eastern gorilla susceptibility to this novel virus. Gorilla Doctors has been on the forefront of research in emerging pandemic threats and zoonotic spillover for the past 10 years with our implementation of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT project, […]