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Mountain Gorilla Orphans Move to DR Congo
On Tuesday, November 23, 2010, two mountain gorillas orphaned by poachers in DR Congo's Virunga National Park in 2004 and 2007 were relocated back to Virunga after several years spent in Rwanda, the country where they were confiscated. Nine-year-old female Maisha and 6-year-old Kaboko moved from MGVP's confiscated gorilla quarantine facility in Kinigi, Rwanda, to a new home at ICCN's Senkwekwe Center gorilla sanctuary at Rumangabo in Virunga National Park. At the Senkwekwe Center, Maisha and Kaboko will live inside a lush, enclosed forest area where they will be semi-free ranging and be able to learn the skills they will need to survive in the forest. The ideal end goal for the gorillas is reintroduction to the wild, but this will only be done after careful consideration of their progress on an annual basis.
To learn more, read our press release and Dr. Jan's blog.
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Employee Profile: Dr. Eddy Kambale
 While known for his sense of humor and warm smile, Dr. Eddy Kambale--one of MGVP's two in-country field veterinarians based in DR Congo--has on numerous occasions been tasked with carrying out some of our most difficult missions. Since 2004, Dr. Eddy, in collaboration with our other DRC field veterinarian, Dr. Jacques, has been responsible for the healthcare of the mountain and Grauer's gorillas living in Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega national parks. Despite the war and instability of eastern Congo and a few close encounters with armed rebels over the years, Dr. Eddy has managed to rescue several gorilla orphans from poachers, perform regular health checks and multiple interventions, and even help carry out the field necropsies of the mountain gorillas murdered in July 2007. Read More
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Download the Gorilla Doctor's 2011 Calendar!
This year, for our 2010 annual report, we decided to change our format up a bit by creating a 2011 calendar. The calendar includes 12 beautiful images of gorillas and the Gorilla Doctors at work, plus our fiscal year news. Donors who gave to the Gorilla Doctors over the past two years should soon receive the calendar in the mail. Calendars will also be brought to Africa in late December for distribution. Anyone can download the digital version from our website.
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Dr. Fred's Pulse Check on the Gorillas of Uganda
In his latest blog, Dr. Fred, our Uganda in-country field veterinarian, offers a comprehensive overview of the health status of the gorillas he monitors and treats in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga national park. Read on to learn about the group composition and health histories of the 9 gorilla groups regularly monitored by the Gorilla Doctors in Uganda.
In Uganda, the Gorilla Doctors monitor the gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga national parks. Bwindi is home to about half of the world's mountain gorillas. According to a 2006 Gorilla Census that was carried out in Bwindi, 30 gorilla groups were counted with a total of 340 individuals (both habituated and non-habituated animals). Read More
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Gorilla Doctors attend AAVZ Conference in Texas
In late October, three of the Gorilla Doctors attended the annual American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) conference in San Padre Island, Texas, to network with and learn from zoo and wild animal veterinarians from around world. Our own Dr. Jan, the outgoing president of AAZV, was joined by Dr. Mike, plus Dr. Eddy, who won a scholarship to travel from his home in DR Congo to the U.S. to attend.
Check out Dr. Eddy's report. Read More
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Still Time to Sign up for our Seattle Fundraiser
On December 4, Gorilla Doctors' supporters will converge on Seattle's Green Lake Park to walk or run in the "One Walk for One Health" fundraiser. Walkers and runners are requested to raise pledges independently in order to participate in the event. Each person is asked to set the goal of raising $200 in pledges for their walk. There will be many special gorilla-related prizes for walkers, including a " Gorillas in Our Midst" CD/DVD made by fundraiser Drew Nichol and hand-made Rwandan crafts donated by Virunga Artisans.
The fundraising walk/run will take place from 12-5 PM and follow a 2.8 mile trail that circles the lake. To sign up, email Drew Nichol at senkwekwe@gmail.com. More news and details will be posted on the event's Facebook page.
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