GORILLA!DOCTORS

pANUARY 12. 2015

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Q U IC K TO HELP: Gorilla vets exam ine a silverback gorilla nam ed Mukunda in the Dem ocratic Republic of the Congo, then return him to his hom e in Virunga National Park.

These veterinarians gorillas, one patient

are saving Africas at a time

Veterinarian Jan Ranter and her colleagues had trekked a long way through the forests of Uganda to reach a group of gorillas, but the trickiest part of

their job still lay ahead of them. The team hoped to free a baby male gorilla whose leg was caught in a poachers snare. To remove the snare safely, the vets would have to fire darts filled with anesthetics that would make both the baby and its mother fall asleep at the same time.

The conditions werent ideal. It began pouring, and the silverback, or senior male gorilla of the group, nicknamed Mark, watched the vets warily from several feet away. But the trapped babys life could be in danger if the vets didnt get the snare off soon. Ramer, whos from Indianapolis, Indiana, and field veterinarian Fred Nizeyimana of Uganda had to take action. They aimed their dart guns and shot, both hitting their targets.

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The gorilla mom screamed when the dart hit. Hearing her cry, the silverback roared and charged angrily at the team of vets. It was pandemonium for about five minutes, says Ramer. Gorillas were screaming.The trackers who work with us were also screaming, trying to get the silverback to back off. Finally, the big male retreated, and the veterinarians reached the injured baby and its mother, both fast asleep thanks to the anesthetic.

Working through the stormy weather, they removed the snare and treated the infants wounds. Nizeyimana gave both gorillas a shot that reversed the anesthetic, and they woke up and rejoined then- extended family.

It was a typical days work for Ramer and her colleagues. Theyre members of a group called the Gorilla Doctors, an international team of about a dozen full-time veterinarians in central Africa (see map, p. 10). They work in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to keep the endangered gorillas there alive and healthy. The teams motto is Saving a species, one gorilla at a time.

GREAT APES AT RISKGorilla Doctors provides medical care to

two gorilla subspecies found only in central Africa. One is the mountain gorilla. Fewer than 900 of them are left in the world. The other subspecies is the eastern lowland gorilla. Scientists dont know its exact population, but they estimate it at less than 8,500 and shrinking fast.

Because these populations are so small, the death of even a single gorilla is a big loss for the subspecies. So when a gorillas life is at risk from a treatable medical problem, the veterinarians do their best to save the animal.

Many of the cases the vets deal with fall into one of two categories: trauma and respiratory infections. Trauma, or injury,

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WHERE THE VETS WORKThe map shows where Gorilla Doctors operates and where its gorilla patients live.

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for a week, and then usually they get better. But once in a while, an especially nasty virus strikes. Gorillas that catch it may develop pneumonia, which can be deadly.

WILD MEDICINEIn total, Gorilla Doctors regularly monitors

the health of about 550 gorillas. They work only with habituated gorillas, or those that are used to people. A veterinarian visits each group (typically about 10 gorillas) at least once per month. We observe their body condition, whether they seem to be moving normally, breathing well, or have discharge from the eyes or nose, says Jean-Felix Kinani, the head veterinarian in Rwanda. Professional trackers also check on gorillas every day and report any problems. We only intervene when theres a life-threatening situation, says Rainer.

For severe respiratory illnesses, vets dart the gorilla with a mix of antibiotics (to fight bacterial infection) and anti-inflammatories (to reduce fever and pain). In trauma cases, they dart the gorillas with anesthetics to make them fall asleep so veterinarians can then treat wounds, broken bones, or other

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VETS IN ACTION:A 13-month- old gorilla gets a dental exam after being rescued from poachers in Rwanda.

is the No. 1 killer of mountain gorillas. They might have injuries from getting into fights, falling out of a tree, or getting caught in a snare, for example, says Ramer.

Respiratory infections are another major health threat. Gorillas are just like people when they get sick. When a virus starts going around, it can affect almost everyone in the group, says Ramer. They cough. They sneeze. They get fevers. They feel terrible

ANGOLAZAMBIA

W W E IG H A caregiver in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo holds an anesthetized mountain gorilla on his back

to accurately weigh the animal.

injuries. Sometimes a snared limb must be amputated to save an animals life. But even in these cases, the animal remains in the wild after treatment. The Gorilla Doctors never take a gorilla out of the forest.

The work can be dangerous. Kinani recalls how a powerful male once lunged at him, roaring in his face. It went on for probably less than a minute, but it felt like 30 minutes, he says. Finally, trackers got the silverback to move away by yelling and banging sticks.

In some cases, silverbacks have grabbed or bitten veterinarians from Gorilla Doctors. Ramer was once thrown into the bushes.But usually, after a silverback charges, if we make ourselves look small and submissive, he feels hes done his job and chooses to move off with the group, says Ramer. To my knowledge, no one has ever been killed by a gorilla, in captivity or in the wild.

SHARED HEALTHGorillas are more than 98 percent

identical to humans genetically, which means theyre susceptible to many of the same disease-causing pathogens. Analysis of tissue and mucus samples collected

DANGEROUS TRAP: Poachers set wire snares to capture gorillas.

SNARE REMOVAL:A veterinarian removes a wire snare from the wrist of a young eastern lowland gorilla in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

from two dead gorillas in 2009 showed that the animals died of a respiratory infection caused by a virus normally found in people.It was the first direct proof that a human virus has killed gorillas.

Gorillas in Africas national parks are exposed to thousands of tourists and other people each year. To keep the gorillas healthy, Ramer says, Gorilla Doctors must also help keep the people and animals around the parks healthy.

To do so, the team organizes annual examinations by a local physician for trackers, guides, and portersthe people who come into contact with gorillas most often. They also provide rabies vaccinations to dogs and cats outside of the park, because the disease poses a danger to both gorillas and people. We all share one Earth and one health, says Ramer. &

Jennifer Barone

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