Insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo prevented the Gorilla Doctors from traveling to Rumangabo in February to conduct annual physicals for the mountain gorilla orphans living at the Senkwekwe Center. Fortunately, the region settled down enough for our Gorilla Doctors to safely make the trip to Senkwekwe to examine Maisha, Ndakasi and Ndezi, the only three mountain gorillas living in captivity in the world. All three are doing well and continuing to thrive.

The health of the largest group of Grauer's gorillas habituated to human presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo was recently assessed by Drs. Eddy and Martin. It took two days for the Gorilla Doctors to observe the majority of the individuals in this 37-member group,because they were ranging deep inside very thick forest. Luckily, on the second day, the Gorilla Doctors were rewarded with clear views of the whole group, huddled together during rest time. Read more 

During his Routine Health Check, Dr. Jean Felix observed Hirwa group crossing the Rwebeya stream. At the waterside, the infants and juveniles stopped to play with the water, while silverback Munyinya and females drank from the stream using the back of their hand. Go to the Gorilla Doctors blog to see Dr. Jean Felix's great photos! 

Fortunately the M23 rebel conflict in the Mikeno Sector of Virunga National Park is drawing to a close, allowing the Gorilla Doctors safer access into the park. This month, Drs. Eddy and Martin visited three Mikeno Sector gorilla groups. Dr. Eddy describes wounds incurred by dueling silverbacks and the conditions of two ailing females in the group in his report. Read more on the blog.

On Thursday, April 11, Drs. Eddy and Martin trekked to Bageni group in Virunga National Park to assess the groups' overall health and check on male infant Kagera, who was previously reported to have a skin lesion similar to the herpesvirus. Although some skin health issues were present, the lesion appears to be clearing up. Read More    

After losing all of his canine teeth, aging dominant silverback Kabirizi has led his group far from his normal home range, away from the danger of interacting with another group in Virunga National Park. Drs. Eddy and Martin recently made the long trek to assess the group's health. Read more.

On Monday, November 4, Dr. Lara Nicolayevsky Zekaria, DVM will be hosting a grand fundraiser to support the Gorilla Doctors work at the ACE Gallery in Beverly Hills, California. Complete with auctions for luxury travel, VIP experiences, celebrity appearances, and an impressive gorilla fine art photography exhibition, this will be the first such event for Gorllla Doctors in California. To learn more about attending the fundraiser or to find out how you can help make it a success, click here.