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About Us
The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project's Gorilla Doctors are dedicated to saving the mountain gorilla species one patient at a time. We are the only group providing wild mountain gorillas with direct, hands-on care.
MGVP partners with the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center to advance One Health strategies for mountain gorilla conservation. Research has proven that by intervening to save sick and injured gorillas, the Gorilla Doctors have helped the overall mountain gorilla population to increase.
To learn more about us, please visit our website and sign up for our blog.
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As a 501(c)3 non-profit, we rely on donations from people like you to fund our hard work. Help us to protect these magnificent, critically endangered primates by making a donation.
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Gorilla Doctors News March
The month, Drs. Jan and Eddy hosted a film crew from Animal Planet, which documented the orphan integration and routine health checks in DR Congo. Meanwhile, in Uganda, Drs. Fred and Madga fought to save female gorilla Samehe, who suffered a terrible head wound.
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Animal Planet Films the Gorilla Doctors
On March 11, a film crew from the Animal Planet TV series Wildlife SOS arrived in DR Congo to document the work of the Gorilla Doctors and Virunga National Park rangers for 9 days. Host Simon Cowell (no, not that Simon Cowell), Cameraman/Director Jim Incledon, and Producer Jason Giberti arrived in Goma a bit nervous about their first foray into the Congo but very excited to film mountain gorillas.
Drs. Eddy and Jacques picked up the crew the next morning and drove them to Rumangabo, the headquarters of Virunga National Park. Dr. Jan and Virunga National Park gorilla orphan caretaker Andre met the guys and brought them to the Senkwekwe Center, where Maisha, Kaboko, Ndeze, and Ndakasi were waiting. Jim filmed the first day of the orphan integration. As if knowing they were being filmed for TV, the gorillas put on a dramatic show filled with screaming, biting, and posturing.
Read More
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Making a Mountain Gorilla Orphan Family, Part II
On March 12, Gorilla Doctors Jan, Eddy, and Jacques and MGVP and Virunga National Park caretakers renewed their work to integrate mountain gorilla orphans Maisha, Kaboko, Ndeze, and Ndakasi into a family. Up until recent weeks the two young gorillas Ndeze and Ndakasi and the two older gorillas, Maisha and Kaboko, had been living in separate forest enclosures at the Senkwekwe Sanctuary in Virunga National Park, DR Congo. The gorilla conservation community believes if these orphans are to be released into the wild, their best chance for success would be to return as a family. Read More
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Samehe: The Gorilla Who Fought to the End
Samehe, the adult female from Nkuringo
group in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park who suffered a serious head wound in February, struggled this month to regain her health. The Gorilla Doctors intervened 4 times in March to help repair the damage, fight off infection, and clean the wound. Sadly, Samehe lost her battle on March 26. Read Dr. Magda's blog to learn more about Samehe and the Gorilla Doctors' efforts to help her.
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Kwitonda's Battle Wounds and Family Antics
The Gorilla Doctors perform health checks on every habituated gorilla group each month. In March, Dr. Jan's visit to Kwitonda group in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park was particularly insightful. Having led his family out of the park and into farmers' field, silverback Kwitonda and his family were very easy to observe. Kwitonda, an aging leader, had fresh wounds from fighting with the group's subordinate silverbacks. Despite his wavering grip on power, Kwitonda's legacy lives on through his many offspring, including several new babies. See photos and videos of Dr. Jan's visit on the Gorilla Doctors' blog.
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Students Sell Grilled Cheese for Gorillas
 This donor story out of Ontario, Canada, is
one worth sharing: After learning about the plight of mountain gorillas from their Civics teacher, two middle school students went above and beyond their class assignment to "make a difference in the world" and decided
to hold a fundraiser for MGVP. Hannah Riding,16, and Sandra Han, 15, sold
"Grilled Cheese for Gorillas" at I.E. Weldon Secondary School, helping to spread awareness among students and staff. The students earned extra credit from their teacher-and kudos from the MGVP team!
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