Gorilla Guardians: How We Treat Wild Gorillas

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, February 1st, 2021 in Blog.

Have you ever wondered how we provide veterinary care when our patients are wild and our hospital is the forest? In this post we take you step-by-step through a real intervention from 2019 when Dr. Fred, a true guardian of gorilla health, trekked deep into the forest to rescue a mountain gorilla from a snare […]

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 […]

Photography & Conservation: A Discussion with Ian Wood

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, November 5th, 2020 in Blog.

This month through November 15th, UK-based wildlife photographer Ian Wood is auctioning a limited edition mountain gorilla photo signed by the legendary Sir David Attenborough (now on Netflix with A Life on Our Planet). Ian is donating 100% of the auction proceeds to Gorilla Doctors. He’s also selling a collection of limited edition prints on […]

The Greatest (in size) of the Great Apes

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Tuesday, October 27th, 2020 in Blog.

Grauer’s gorillas are not only the largest sub-species of gorilla, they are the largest primate on the planet. A silverback can reach up to 250kg (~550lbs) and stand over 2m (~6.5ft). Grauer’s, also called eastern lowland gorillas, are found only in eastern DR Congo. Grauer’s gorillas are classified as critically endangered by the International Union […]

UPDATE: Infant Theodore Thriving after Snare Removal

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Wednesday, October 7th, 2020 in Blog.

Back in July, Dr. Eddy and Jean-Paul successfully removed a snare from Theodore, a two-year-old infant mountain gorilla from Humba group in Virunga National Park, DR Congo. On September 23rd, Drs. Eddy and Fabrice (our newest Gorilla Doctor) conducted a routine health check of Humba group and found Theodore thriving. According to Dr. Eddy’s field […]

Gorilla Doctors Brings One Health to Gorillas and People in Rwanda

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Thursday, October 1st, 2020 in Blog.

Gorilla Doctors’ mission is to conserve wild mountain and eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorillas using veterinary medicine, science and a One Health approach. One Health recognizes the intrinsic connection between people, animals and the environment – especially when the environment is shared, as is the case with people and wild gorillas in East-Central Africa, one of […]

Growing Up Gorilla Part 2: Kwita Izina

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020 in Blog.

Kwita Izina –  “to give a name” – is the annual Rwandan ceremony for naming each of the infant mountain gorillas born in the previous year. The celebration first began in 2004, inspired by the ancient Rwandan tradition of families gathering friends to welcome a new baby. The annual celebration honors not only the new […]

The Positive Ripple Effect of Saving One Mountain Gorilla

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, September 14th, 2020 in Blog.

Ruterana, a female mountain gorilla in Rushegura group, who just gave birth on August 29th, makes a great case for the importance of treating individual gorillas for the good of the entire species. Gorilla Doctors first started monitoring and treating Ruterana in 2012 for a heavy parasite burden that was impacting her health. More recently, […]

Guardians of Gorilla Health: Meet Team Rwanda

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, August 28th, 2020 in Blog.

This month we launched Meet the Gorilla Doctors: Guardians of Gorilla Health to introduce you in more detail than ever before to our dedicated team of Ugandan, Congolese and Rwandan veterinarians working to protect the health of endangered mountain gorillas and critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas. Their internationally-recognized work in conservation medicine, and infectious disease research […]

Guardians of Gorilla Health: Team DR Congo

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, August 21st, 2020 in Blog.

Last week we launched Meet the Gorilla Doctors: Guardians of Gorilla Health to introduce you in more detail than ever before to our extraordinary team of Ugandan, Congolese and Rwandan veterinarians who work tirelessly to protect the health of endangered mountain gorillas and critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas. Their veterinary conservation medicine has been credited for […]