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

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 4 of 4): It’s All Connected

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Monday, May 11th, 2020 in Blog.

As we confront the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us sheltering in our homes while we witness devastating losses around the world, it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless. As discussed in Part 3 of our ‘Did you Know’ series, the emergence of the SARS CoV-2 virus and its rapid spread throughout the […]

Did you Know (Part 3 of 4): At the Forefront of Emerging Infectious Disease Research

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 in Blog.

In Part 1 of our ‘Did you Know’ series, we introduced the One Health scientific approach – recognizing that the health of people, animals and the environments we share are interconnected, and included some helpful definitions for understanding zoonotic disease (disease in humans caused by a pathogen that originated in animals). In Part 2, we […]

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

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

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

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 […]

Gorilla Doctors Rescue Wild Grauer’s Gorilla from Village

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Friday, March 6th, 2020 in Blog.

On Monday March 3rd, Drs. Eddy Kambale Syaluha, Luis Flores Giron and ICCN veterinarian Dr. Lina Aldophine Nturubika successfully rescued and relocated a wild Grauer’s gorilla blackback who was outside the safety of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DR Congo. This short video captures their extraordinary effort. A Note from our Executive Director The rescue and relocation […]