Gorilla Doctors

Blog by: Dr. Eddy Kambale

MGVP DRC In-Country Field Veterinarian

After a successful transfer of the two orphan Mountain Gorillas, Ndakasi and Ndeze, on December 1, 2009 to their new home, Senkwekwe Centre, the MGVP team continued to monitor the girls’ health as they adapted to their new environment. No way to compared it with the former Goma gorillas’ environment, as the Senkwekwe Centre offers a special climate, very similar and close to the gorillas natural habitat (beautiful and isolated forest, quiet, secure, large space, less pollution, getting very fresh forest food, healthy…).

Dr. Eddy with Ndeze.

They adjusted quickly.  The first day, the gorillas slept alone in the room and at 2:00 am Ndeze stood up and started vocalizing in fear.  The caretaker looked at through the door and spoke softly, to reassure Ndeze that he is around, and then she went back to sleep until morning. After waking up, both gorillas started playing alone in their night room. The second night, they slept alone again without any complaint, and so up to now they are sleeping alone in the room. This wasn’t yet happening in Goma.

 
Dr. Eddy with Ndeze on the left and Ndakasi on the right.

Like a dream come true, two weeks now after transfer, Ndakasi and Ndeze are completely adapted to and enjoying their new home. On Saturday, December 12, 2009, I came to Senkwekwe Centre for Routine health checks of the two orphans’ mountain Gorilla. When inside the enclosure, the two girls were very excited, playing actively, clapping, standing up, walking, running next to me through bush, rolling over each other on grass from up to down, climbing small trees and breaking small branches. The new environment appeared greatly interesting to them, and they were feeling at home. While I was inside the enclosure I ran with the gorillas and I got really tired!  I asked the caretakers to stop them by presenting them some food so I could rest a bit. I sat down, Ndeze and Ndakasi came to me, seating next to me and then I started checking them closely, one by one, by grooming and stroking. This is how I do my physical examination!  I find that they are both healthy and still gaining weight.

Dr. Eddy listening to Ndakasi’s heartbeat.

I observe, and learn from Andre, that Ndeze and Ndakasi are behaving normally, very active, currently they are very interested in new forest foods.  They are also eating more Ficus tree leaves from trees growing in the enclosure, and they even discovered a new food plant in the enclosure, named “MUSAVE”, in local language, that is being been eaten mostly by Ndeze.

Dr. Eddy holding Ndakasi’s hand. Ndeze in front.

Ndakasi is most interested in exploring the area without hesitation, going through bush, climbing high trees and watching around the enclosure.  But Ndeze is somehow afraid to move around alone in the thick vegetation, she’s not climbing high trees, but she’s more interesting in forest food, seeking for new food items.   They are both watching the other wild animals around in trees without any worry. Some baboons came around the enclosure and continued their way without any problem. But one blue monkey tried to jump on the enclosure and was directly projected safely out the enclosure.

I hope that the well being that Ndakasi and Ndeze are experiencing in Senkwekwe Centre will help the long term survival of this endangered species by creating a new way to educate and sensitize people to the gorilla habitat and the environment in general.

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For everybody else in Goma, Tuesday morning was like any other – sunny, hot, noisy, busy. When Ndeze and Ndakasi woke up they had no idea that this day would change their lives. But for Dr. Mike, Dr. Eddy, Dr. Jacques, Sandy (she’s in charge of gorilla orphan care in DRC and Rwanda) and me, this was a huge day. Dr. Mike, Sandy and I traveled to Goma Monday night and met with Dr. Eddy, Dr. Jacques and Samantha from ICCN (Congolese wildlife authorities; Institut Congolais pour la Conservacion de la Nature.) to go over the final detail of the move. We could barely contain our excitement, and tried to plan for every contingency. We had veterinary equipment and a plan to handle almost any situation. ICCN supplied a special truck with an enclosed bed where Andre and the girls would ride on a mattress. There was another truck for all the household equipment, and the MGVP truck. We felt like we were ready!

We met at 6:00 Tuesday morning at the small house in Goma where Ndeze and Ndakasi have been living for the past 2 years. We Gorilla Doctors decided to give the girls a bit of oral sedative to be sure they tolerated the 2 hour truck ride from Goma to Rumangabo. They had spent the past 2 weeks climbing all over the truck and were very comfortable in it, but had not been in it on a long ride over bumpy roads, so we were being cautions. After they took their medicine, they climbed right into the back of the truck with Andre, their caregiver, and we were off!

Dr. Mike, Emmanuel and Sandy, waiting for the girls to get into the truck

Our little procession was led by the truck carrying Ndeze and Ndakasi, with Emmanuel (Director of Virunga National Park, the oldest National Park in Africa) at the wheel and Dr. Mike riding shot gun, just in case veterinary attention was needed on the road. Dr. Jacques drove our truck, with Dr. Eddy, me and Sandy on board, along with Dr. Arthur, one of the ICCN veterinarians. Samantha followed in the truck carrying all the household goods to be moved into the new facility. We tried to be inconspicuous as we rolled out onto the streets of downtown Goma.

That’s the truck carrying Andre and the girls safely tucked into the back, with Nyiragongo spewing steam in the foreground

The paved road through Goma was crowded with people, but soon gave way to a gravel road for the next hour and a half. Nobody paid much attention as we passed by, thankfully. They had no idea that one of these trucks was carrying 2 orphan Mountain Gorillas! We got a call from Andre about 30 minutes into the trip, who reported that the young gorillas were actually playing, behaving normally! What great news! We drove on, passing through village after village, with the active volcano Nyiragongo always visible. Finally we came to a small corridor of the Park that crosses the road about 30 minutes from our destination. The air was fresh and vegetation lush, a hint of what Ndakasi and Ndeze would find at their new home. Then came another call from Andre – Ndeze was asleep and Ndakasi had vomited, but was now resting in his arms. Probably motion sickness, poor girl! Nothing to worry about.

We finally arrived at Virunga National Park Headquarters in Rumangabo. It was cool and the air was full of birdsong. Green plants dominated the landscape. It was nothing like their hot, dusty house in Goma which was about a mile from the airport.

Ndeze and Ndakasi’s new home

It was time to carry the girls from the truck to their new home. They clung to the caregivers as we walked down the forest path.

All at once it was over – Ndeze and Ndakasi were safely delivered to their cool, quiet forest home! We all breathed a sigh of relief! Now the fun part – watching these baby girls explore their new forest home for the first time. Dr. Eddy put on his coveralls and mask to join Andre and the other caregivers in the enclosure, just in case anything unforeseen should happen. The girls were happy to have another playmate!

Dr. Eddy with Ndakasi in her new home

We all wondered if they would be nervous or intimidated by the change in environment, but our concerns were unfounded. The presence of Andre and the other caregivers provided Ndakasi and Ndeze with the confidence they needed to begin exploring almost immediately. They stuck close to the caregivers, but enjoyed foraging through the lush vegetation. They found one of the banana trees that ICCN had planted several weeks ago, and in short order they had it toppled and began eating it just like big gorillas! They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.

Ndeze and Ndakasi destroying a small banana tree that had been planted weeks before, for just this purpose

We all watched through a small window, trying not to disturb as the girls settled in. We were thrilled. Sandy cried. Samantha couldn’t stop smiling. At one point I asked Andre “Are you happy?” He smiled his brilliant smile and said “Yes, I am very happy” as Ndakasi climbed onto his lap after a big meal of banana tree. We are all happy. It is a tragedy that these little girls are not growing up with their families in the forest, but this is the next best thing. They are finally in the right climate, at the right altitude, with natural vegetation all around them. A good place for orphaned Mountain Gorillas to learn to be gorillas.

The girls resting with Andre after a couple of hours exploring their new home

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Blog by: Dr. Magdalena Lukasik-Braum
MGVP Regional Field Veterinarian

Last week Dr. Eddy and I spent the whole week in Kenya attending the annual meeting of PASA. PASA is the Pan-African Sanctuary Alliance, which for almost 10 years has worked to help primate sanctuaries in Africa to improve their expertise and facilities. We Gorilla Doctors became involved with this organization when we rescued the first gorilla orphans in 2002.

This year’s workshop took place between 16-20 November in two locations: Heron Hotel in Nairobi and Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Nanyuki. Dr. Eddy (together with Dr. Jacques) took part in previous two PASA meetings, but for me it was the first time, and I very much enjoyed meeting the people from all the sanctuaries, veterinarians and researchers alike!

There were many presentations at the meeting, and Dr. Eddy and I learned about how other facilities are dealing with the husbandry and medical needs of the primates in their care.  I was scheduled to have only one presentation, but in the end there was enough time to present twice.  The first presentation was on the gorilla positive training for the medication in Kinigi quarantine facility (remember the Shooting Raisins blog?!) and second on the new medical cases Gorilla Doctors have treated in all the orphans under our care in Rwanda and DRC.   Both presentations were received very well and met with many questions and positive comments afterward!

This is me giving our case presentations

This year Gorilla Doctors also financed the trip to the conference for the ICCN veterinarian Dr. Arthur Kalonji, as the part of our capacity building program for the countries hosting Mountain and Grauer’s gorillas

During the meeting we built relationships with some of the participating researchers and institutions, and we hope to continue to maintain these important relationships in the future.  We all face many of the same challenges, and we can be good resources for each other!

During our trip to Sweetwaters we viewed their facilities, which were very nice.  We also had a chance to see the chimpanzee Gashuhe, who was rescued by Gorilla Doctors from terrible conditions in 2008. Gashuhe had spent most of his life alone in tiny cage, but remained very sweet tempered toward humans.  Unfortunately, his social skills with other chimps are not good due to his unfortunate history.

Here is the cage into which Gashuhe had been welded for years in one of the factories in Kigali

Gashuhe before his rescue

Fortunately Gashuhe has been accepted into the chimpanzee group in Sweetwaters, and while he is still quite frequently bullied by other males he has became friends with one juvenile female. Dr. Eddy and I were glad to see that his life conditions improved immensely, and are hopeful that he will learn better social skills over time.

Here is Gashuhe (on right) with his friend enjoying the evening meal in their sleeping quarters

Here is the rest of his new family playing outside

Dr. Eddy and I returned to headquarters with new information and new relationships, and will share what we’ve learned with the other Gorilla Doctors at our next all Doctor meeting.  Now it is back to health monitoring and orphan care for us!

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Blog by: Dr. Eddy Kambale
MGVP DRC In-Country Field Veterinarian

The story starts with the gorilla massacres in June and July, 2007.  Kabirizi and Rugendo gorilla groups both lost members.  In Kabirizi gorilla group there was an adult female gorilla with a 2 month old baby. Her name was N’Sekuye, and in June 2007 she was killed by gunshot and her baby was left clinging to her dead body. In Rugendo gorilla group, six of twelve family members were killed by gunshot in July 2007.  The dead included the silverback Senkwekwe and an adult female Safari, who had a 5 month old infant.  This infant was also left clinging to her mother’s body.  This is how Ndakasi and Ndeze came to be orphans.

Ndeze with forest food

Ndakasi with forest food

Things for Gorilla Doctors were stressful and busy at that time.  When Ndakasi was found clinging to her mother on June 10^th, 2007, there were many discussions between ICCN, MGVP, DFGFI and other conservation stakeholders, and the decision was made to try to save her life.  She was placed in the care of ranger Andre Bauma, who has been with her ever since.  She traveled with Andre to Goma, which is when I first saw her.  She was stressed, dehydrated and weak, and all involved felt there was little hope for her survival.   She got intensive medical care and Andre carried her round the clock, even sleeping with her at night.  Kambale Ndakasi joined Andre in the care of Ndeze.  She continued to be weak, and soon developed pneumonia. We Gorilla Doctors worked hard to save her, even placing her in an oxygen tent supplied by the UN hospital/MONUC in Goma. It took 3 weeks of intensive care, but she recovered completely.

Gorilla Orphan Ndakasi

Gorilla Orphan Ndeze

When Ndeze was orphaned and left to die, she stayed with her mother’s body until she was picked up by Mukunda, the black back gorilla in the group.  He tried to care for her, carrying her on his back and trying to keep her away from danger – moving away and becoming very stressed when he saw rangers.  Gorilla Doctors and ICCN decided to intervene because it was the experience that a baby gorilla of this age cannot survive without her mother.  Ndeze was brought to Goma where she was cared for just as Ndakasi was, but in a different place at first to be sure they did not share diseases.  She was very thin, dehydrated and weak, and very stressed.  Two more rangers were brought in for her care, Patric Karabaranga and Alfred.  She responded well to her caretakers, and did not suffer any diseases like Ndakasi had.  She began to recover from her trauma.

After being alone for about a month to be sure she was healthy, Ndeze was introduced to Ndakasi, and they have been close friends since.  Gorilla Doctors have worked with the caretakers to provide appropriate diet and care for these little orphans.  Ndakasi is now a curious, playful, strong, and sometimes stubborn little gorilla, and Ndeze is playful and joyful, but careful around new people and things. They are happy and healthy little gorillas.  But in order to stay healthy and develop normally they need to move to a more natural environment.

Ndakasi behind, Ndeze in front- on ICCN truck

Ndakasi climbing on ICCN truck

Senkwekwe is just the place.  It is isolated from town and the facility is large and very similar to natural habitat.  There is natural forest food and enough trees for Ndeze and Ndakasi to learn natural feeding behavior and romp in the trees.   They will still have the same loyal caretakers – Andre will travel with them during the move.  As their doctor for the past two years I feel very happy, relaxed and hopeful.  Now they will be in a suitable place which is very similar to their natural habitat.  Ndakasi and Ndeze will have a nice trees to climb, very fresh forest food, cool and quite place, cool weather, clean and fresh air, very little pollution in their new environment.  They can learn to be more like their wild family.

Ndakasi on truck

Ndakasi playing on ICCN truck

I do  believe, that Ndeze and Ndakasi are aware that I’m their brother; when I visit them there are always happy to see me, and they think that when I’m around they can do what ever they want as they know I will protect them.  They climb on my body even after injecting or administration other drugs to them, so they seem to forgive me easily!  Now we are training them to be comfortable in the truck we will use to take them to Senkwekwe, and when I am around they seem happy!

Ndakasi and Dr. Eddy

Ndakasi and Dr. Eddy

At the end of the day, I’m convinced that these very close cousins of ours will be healthier than they are now, and they will have long, healthy lives.  The Gorillas Doctors team and the caretakers can finally relax a bit.

Ndeze playing on ICCN truck

Ndeze and Ndakasi on truck

Patric with Ndakasi

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This week I went with John Huston and Dr. Mike for our monthly visit to MGVP Farm Partners.  John is our Agriculture Project Coordinator for the MGVP One Health Program and developed our Farm Partner Project.  Dr. Mike is the Director of MGVP and was here for one of his regular visits.  The Farm Partner project is an effort to help families in the area around the park increase the productivity of their farms using environmentally friendly husbandry practices like rain catchment, bio-gas and bio-fuels.  We also provide veterinary care for their livestock.

Why should Gorilla Doctors be concerned about the health of cows, goats and pigs?!  The short answer is that Gorilla Doctors cannot keep Mountain Gorillas healthy unless the animals, people and environment around them are healthy.  “One Health”.   While the primary concern of Gorilla Doctors is Mountain Gorilla health and conservation, we take a “One Health” approach to achieve that end.  In addition to providing veterinary care for the gorillas, we provide veterinary care to other wildlife species in the park. We provide health care to all gorilla guides and trackers.  We vaccinate dogs and cats around the park against Rabies.  We work with local clinics to improve health care for people who live in the villages around the park.  And we are starting this Farm Partner, or Model Farm program.

Pacifique is a young man who just completed his first year at university, and his family farm is one of our partners.  His story is truly amazing.  He was around 9 years old in 1994, and during the genocide he was separated form his family.  A soldier from Interahamwa (the bad paramilitary group during the genocide) found him and took him to Congo where Pacifique lived for the next 3 years.  His job was to help this soldier’s wife care for their infant son.  The wife died though, and at around 12 years of age Pacifique put the 3 year old son of the soldier on his back and was told to walk to Gishwati where he would find some family of the soldier who would care for the toddler.  So Pacific walked with the toddler on his back for over a week, finally finding the family and handing over the toddler.

But what was he to do now?  He thought his family back in Ruhengeri were probably dead.  He didn’t know where to go. So he started walking, and returned to the place he called home for the first 9 years of his life.  When he finally made it back to Ruhengeri, he found that his mother and father were alive and well!  They had fled to Uganda and had thought him lost to the war.  There was an extremely happy reunion on the day Pacifique came walking into the family home some 10 years ago.

At that time it was not common for a teen to attend secondary school – they were needed on the farm.  Pacifique’s family raised goats and grew crops, so lots of help was needed on the family farm.  But Pacifique wanted an education, so he went to school as often as he could, and graduated from secondary school when he was over 20 years old.  He had even higher aspirations – he wanted to attend university.  He has said to me “I need to have a plan for my life.  I need to work hard so that I can come home and provide for my mother and father.  So I can be a good businessman and improve the family farm.”   So he took the required national test and made the highest score in the district, winning him a spot at the National University of Rwanda in Butare, one of the best universities in Rwanda.  He is studying Business Administration and doing very well.

I first met Pacifique 2 months ago when he was home for his 3 month break after his first year at university.  He is a tall, thin young man with joyful eyes and a calm, open countenance.  He works at a local restaurant while not at university making the equivalent of $1.50/day.  Unfortunately, the motorbike taxi to and from his house cost him $1.00/day, so his net is pretty small.  John lets Pacifique borrow his bicycle to ride the 5 miles to and from home.  It would only cost $200 to purchase him a new bicycle, but there is no money for that.  All must be saved for the family and university.  This young man is serious about his future.

Here is Pacifique and his family.  His mother and father on either side of him, one brother and his wife and their kids, just outside the family home.

Last Saturday John and Dr. Mike and I headed to the farm, which is a small mud brick house north of Ruhengeri, up in the hills close to the park boundary.  So close in fact that last year an elephant came out of the forest and raided a couple of farms, seeming to have a vendetta against pigs – he smooshed every pig he came across for some reason!  Fortunately he didn’t harm any people, and after several days went back into the forest without further incident.

Pacifique’s family still raises goats, and their 6 goats and 2 kids were tethered in the back yard.  Last month we collected fecal samples and found that they all had internal parasites, so they were treated, and this month is the recheck.   They also had their hooves trimmed.  These ministrations are always a source of much interest and amusement to the kids in the neighborhood!  We always draw a large crowd!

Here’s John trimming hooves.

Here’s Dr. Mike taking photos while the kids watch.

In this neighborhood, everybody works.  Here’s a little boy that can’t be more than 3 years old gathering firewood.

And here’s a little girl not more than 5 years old carrying her little sister.

While we were at the farm, Pacifique’s brother mentioned that one of the goats seemed a little quite today, so Dr. Mike and I gave her a complete physical examination.  Her body temperature was normal, her heart rate and respiratory rate were normal, and her rumen (stomach) was contracting normally, but her lips and gums were a little dry. She was probably a bit dehydrated, which is not a surprise.  His family must walk 3 kilometers for water that must serve the family and the animals.   One of John’s recommendations to the family is to build a rain catchment system so that there is enough water, easily accessible, for people and livestock.  We will work with the family to find the resources to accomplish this.

Another difficulty for these families is fuel (remember the little boy collecting fire wood…).  Many people use charcoal, which requires that large numbers of trees be cut, and processed in large kilns.  Unfortunately people in need are not above going into the forest.

Here is a charcoal kiln near Pacifique’s home.

This kiln uses wood from a eucalyptus grove planted for this purpose.  But there is a better alternative.  In DRC (Congo) the park service (ICCN) is building presses that make bio-bricks out of wood shavings, soy husks, shredded paper, etc.  This is a wonderful alternative to charcoal, and is extremely environmentally friendly.   They are distributed to families around the park, and people can make and sell the bricks as a livelihood.  This not only helps these families, but discourages the use of illegal charcoal, which is a HUGE problem in Congo.  Last month Dr. Jacques met John and me at the border with a press, and MGVP introduced the first bio-brick press to Rwanda!  Immaculee, one of our other Farm Partners, will start a business here in Ruhengeri, and we will be her first customer!

Here are the presses in Rumangabo,Congo.

And here is an example of the bio-brick.

It is our plan to develop a few farms in villages all around the park.  These will serve as models for others in the neighborhood, and the ideas and technology will spread to other families.  It is hard work, and slow work, but so very rewarding to work with families like Pacifique’s and Immaculee’s.  These are hard working, deserving people who can see the benefit of environmentally friendly options.  Who are not only our partners, but our friends.  And at the end of the day, THEY will help keep gorillas healthy and happy in their environment.

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When we conduct our annual physical examinations on the gorilla orphans, they are big enough now that in order to sedate them they must be injected with a flying dart.  Needless to say, they do not much appreciate this procedure, and they have long memories.  They remember not only what the darting equipment look like, and the sound of the CO2 as it pushes the dart down the barrel, they also remember exactly WHO sent the projectile into their hindquarters!  They learn to stay away from said person, especially when a dart barrel is visible. They learn to not present appropriate parts of their bodies, or to hide behind a caretaker or another gorilla.  This makes it increasingly difficult for us Gorilla Doctors to accurately send a dart into the animal in question!

Dr. Magda, Sandy and I decided to try to desensitize the gorilla orphans to the look and sound of the dart pistol.  The goal was to make the dart equipment (and shooter!) into something fun and interesting.   After all, we have all the annual examinations to complete in the next month or so.

Gorillas love raisins.  And they don’t often get them in their daily meals.  This was the perfect ammunition – something they only get during our friendly darting sessions.  Dr. Magda and Sandy headed to Kinigi for the first session, loaded with raisins and good will.

Dr. Magda prepared the darting equipment, loaded the barrel with yummy raisins, and headed out to greet the gorillas.  Remember that Pinga just had her annual examination a few weeks ago, and she was still quite unhappy with Dr. Magda and the darting equipment (even though her nose was MUCH better now!).  When the group saw the darting equipment there was initially much caution, with annoyed grunts directed at Dr. Magda.  Pinga was especially concerned, and kept a long distance between herself and Dr. Magda!

Everybody kept their distance at first!

The first shot caused some flinching and running, but curiosity got the best of several individuals when they noticed the raisins!  Ntabwoba was one of the first to come forward and reap the harvest!  Others followed his lead, except Pinga…

Over the course of the next 30 minutes most of the gorillas became accustomed to the look and sound of the raisins being fired into the enclosure.  Always a little flinching, but in the end, Ntabwoba even held out his hand to try to catch the raisins as they flew from the barrel!  Not a bad outcome!  Sandy even noted that this session was a wonderfully enriching experience for the group – their minds were very active, trying to figure out what this was all about!

Pinga stayed back though, which is not unexpected.  This was the first day of our attempt at reconciliation after all, and she was most recently the recipient of a flying dart.  But as we continue these sessions she will come to realize that it is not necessarily something to be concerned about when we Gorilla Doctors arrive with our equipment!

So why do we take the time for this type of activity?  Anything we can do to decrease the stress and anxiety of a medical examination is good – anesthesia is always best when the animal is as calm as possible.  The other important aspect is that when animals are distrustful, it may take over an hour to get an opportunity to send the flying dart to the appropriate animal.  An hour of everyone being upset, and an hour that could have been spent addressing the animal’s medical need.  So 30 minutes every other week doing this sort of activity with the gorilla orphans is not only fun for us, and for them, but is also an important exercise to make the next medical intervention go well.

Here are a couple of video clips showing the initial reactions, and then at the end of the session, the anticipation of a yummy treat when the raisins were fired into the yard!

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Last week I went to visit Kuryama group for a routine health check.  Kuryama is the son of Titus, and has proved to be a strong, benevolent ruler like his father.

Video of Kuryama.

The morning started at 5:30 – I had to pick up the trackers at 6:40 and it is about a 30 minute drive to the parking spot.  I had not been to this particular parking, so I wanted to get an early start to be sure I could find it!  It was 59 degrees as I started down the road toward Gisenyi just after sunrise.  I passed kilometers of small cultivated fields – fields that go all the way up and over the mountains.  There was a mist hanging between mountain ridges and everything felt fresh.

Fields up and over the hillsides.

The road was crowded with people walking.  Here in Rwanda everybody walks.  I saw women dressed in their beautiful colors, with babies on their backs, carrying water jugs or baskets filled to the brims with fruit and vegetables on their heads.  I saw five year olds with babies on their backs following there mothers.  There were people in starched white business shirts and pressed black pants, women in business dresses.  There were men with bags of potatoes piled on bicycles, and they labored as they pushed them up the steep hills of the roadside, or they were FLYING down the other side.  I saw a man with a table and 4 chairs on his head.  And hundreds of kids in their khaki or blue school clothes were walking to school.   This is morning in Rwanda.

I met the tracker and guards, parked the truck and immediately headed straight up the mountain.  We walked for 90 minutes, winding up through the fields where people were hard at work planting, cultivating and weeding.  As we ascended we passed some beautiful small homesteads.  It is the rainy season, so the fields are healthy, livestock is well fed; things are good.

Fields and farms on the way to the forest edge.

We finally came to the edge of the forest where there is a stone buffalo wall – it sometimes helps keep the forest buffalo out of the cultivated fields.  The edge of the forest is obvious for miles.

Forest boundary.

We climbed over the wall and immediately everything changed.  Sounds were more muted, the air was thick with the smells of vegetation, and was cooler under the canopy.  Birds were singing everywhere and within 5 minutes we could no longer hear any people sounds at all, other than our own footsteps and the intermittent discussions about the trail.  I was beat from the climb to the wall, but as soon as we entered the forest my energy returned.

Kuryama group was only 30 minutes into the forest down in a small ravine.  The vegetation was so thick that sometimes my foot fell through up to my thigh and had to be careful pulling my leg out so I didn’t lose my boot.  In this particular place the nettles were terrible – I don’t know how they can sting through rain pants and cargo pants, but they can!  At one point I accidently grabbed a thick nettle stem as I was falling – my hand was numb for almost a day…  I wonder if they bother the gorillas at all?

As we descended into a small ravine I smelled them.  Gorilla smell is so pungent and familiar.  Trackers had found the night nests, and we knew the group would be close.  Trackers followed the gorilla trails away from the nests, up and out of this ravine and then back down into another ravine.   Suddenly there they were – it sill amazes me how close we can be before we can actually see the gorillas!

Silverback night nest – looks cozy!

One of the trackers following the morning gorilla trail.

There was a group of 2 females along with their juveniles and infants, resting in a pile, playing and grooming.  It is difficult to capture the moment in words – I was standing in a lush green ravine, the air was clear and there is a cool breeze, I could hear the drone bees in the lobelia flowers, birds were flitting around and chirping constantly.  And gorillas were all around me grunting contentedly, moving past me almost as if I was not there.  I stood for a while just to take it all in.

A baby and her big brother sitting on mom.

Grooming is an important part of gorilla social bonding.

Kuryama himself, almost hidden by vegetation.

One of the other silverbacks in the group with a large handful of breakfast!

A baby keeping an eye on me!

One of the trackers helped me to identify all of the individuals in the group.  When we do our monthly health checks on each group we try to have a good long look at each gorilla in the group.  This was a good day – everybody was happy and healthy.

Theodette, a tracker and a gorilla, if you look carefully!

I left Theodette, one of the Karisoke research associates, to her observations, and reluctantly headed back down the mountain to attend to my other duties, but this morning with the gorillas will keep me fueled for days!

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There are five gorilla orphans living in Goma DRC.  They were rescued from largely unknown situations and thanks to hard working Gorilla Doctors and caregivers they are now thriving.

Amani, Kighoma and Mapendo are all Grauer’s gorillas. Amani and Kighoma were confiscated this year on the Congo side of the Virunga range.  They came to us in very bad condition.  Just babies, they have been nursed back to health and now love to laugh and play together.  Mapendo is about five years old and was confiscated in December 2007.  She lived with her three very supportive and dedicated caregivers until last month when she was introduced to Amani and Kighoma.  That introduction went very well – Mapendo was so happy to romp and laugh and play with little Amani and Kighoma.  You may have read about it on our Facebook page!

Here’s Amani, looking very cute!

Kigoma enjoying some forest food.

Mapendo laughing with her caregiver.

Ndakasi and Ndeze are Mountain Gorilla orphans, both about three years old. Ndakasi was only two months old when she was rescued in June 2007.   Ndeze was rescued not long after Ndakasi, also very young.  Both were orphaned by the horrible gorilla murders that occurred in 2007.  You may have seen the story on National Geographic.  Their mothers, along with the silverback Senkwekwe who certainly must have tried to save his family, are buried in a small graveyard at Park Headquarters in Rumangabo along with the other gorillas that were murdered that year.

This is the grave marker of Ndeze’s mother.

These babies endured horrors we cannot imagine, but they are fighters.  They survived.  And now they are fast friends.  Ndakasi is determined little girl, keeping her caregivers on their toes with her antics, and Ndeze expresses her happiness by producing a huge smile while she plays!

Ndakasi romping with her caregiver.

Here’s Ndeze’s smile!

Ndeze and Ndakasi currently live in a house in Goma with their very dedicated and loving caregivers.  But they will all soon move to a new facility built by ICCN, (Institut Congo pour la Conservation de la Nature), near the town of Rumangabo, DRC.  This week I traveled to Rumangabo with Dr. Eddy to take a look at the progress of the facility, and to meet with Emmanuel de Merode, the Director of Parc National des Virunga, to work out the schedule for moving these two to their new home.

The trip started by crossing the border into Goma, DRC. Roads in Congo are very rough and dusty, and the city is crowded and loud, but people are open and welcoming.  Part of the city is still covered in lava from when Nyiragongo Volcano erupted in 2002. It left 2 meters of lava in the town, but was slow moving so nearly everyone was able to evacuate. Goma is rebuilding, and it is interesting to see that some of the shops now have basements that used to be at ground level.

Here’s Nyiragongo – you can see the steam plume mixing with the clouds.

As we drove north toward Rumangabo the city gave way to the countryside which is dotted with cultivated fields.  We are always very careful when we come to DRC.  Dr. Eddy and Dr. Jacques know the area well.  Today things seemed to be business as usual, but there are signs of previous unrest everywhere.  UN trucks and bases are a common site.   Huge charcoal trucks guarded by soldiers rumble up and down the rocky, dusty road.  Soldiers are a common site.  We pass several remnants of refugee camps.  But people are coming back, and communities are being redeveloped and are once again busy with daily activities.

Refugee camps in the shadow of the volcanoes.

At one point we drove through a small corridor of protected park that links the Virunga range, and gorilla habitat, with the western part of the park that is Chimpanzee habitat.  The trees are huge with moss covered limbs and the air is cool and clear.  A blue monkey crossed the road as we passed through the corridor – it felt wonderful to be back in the forest after the dusty roads!  As we approach Park Headquarters I recognized the main building from the National Geographic special about the gorilla murders.  Rebels used to control this area.  But it is now in the hands of ICCN, and wonderful community work is being done in the area.  ICCN is building schools in the communities surrounding the park. They are funding a program where families can start a business making “bio bricks” – an ecologically friendly alternative to charcoal (MGVP is bringing this program to Rwanda next month!).  Gorilla tourism is coming back, and ICCN manages the trackers and guides for that program.  And they are building a great facility for these little orphans, even while they continue to face armed interactions in the Nyiragongo part of the park.

The forest around the park headquarters is beautiful.  The new enclosure for Ndaksi and Ndeze is filled with natural forest plants and trees, and is the right altitude and climate for these baby Mountain Gorillas.  There are baboons, blue monkeys and Colobus monkeys in the area, and for health and safety reasons we will try to exclude them from the enclosure.  The night quarters are composed of 4 rooms – 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and entry room.  Dr. Eddy and I walk the perimeter of the yard and look over the night house.  It is nearly done.  As I look around I know that they will be very comfortable here – I can visualize them playing in the giant yard with the caretakers they know and love.  We’ll be moving them in November – stay tuned for the story of that adventure!

Last week I had my first experience treating a sick, wild mountain gorilla.  Dr. Eddy had been following the case of a 3 year old gorilla from Humba group in DRC, who had a terrible respiratory infection.  She felt so bad that she stopped eating, and trackers felt she was growing weak.  Dr. Eddy and I planned to visit the group together, and were prepared to intervene, if necessary.  My friend Molly Feltner, is a free lance photographer and reporter.  She happened to be in town, and she joined us to document the day, which was wonderful because it allowed me and Dr. Eddy to concentrate on our patient while she took the photos.

Here is her account of our day:

“As the saying goes, “when it rains it pours.”  Wednesday, September 30, was a three alarm fire for MGVP. The three countries where MGVP works – Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda – each had a sick or injured mountain gorilla that required a vet’s attention, a logistical challenge MGVP has not often faced.

Two potential interventions where planned a day earlier. Dr. Magdalena would stay in Rwanda to check up on a sick 8-day old baby belonging to Mukecuru of Pablo Group. For several days, trackers reported the infant to be crying incessantly. The Gorilla Doctors suspected either an injury or that the mother, an older female whose previous baby had died, was not producing milk for the baby.

Dr. Jan, Dr. Eddy, and myself, Molly Feltner, a freelance journalist, would go to Congo to treat Kariya Runga, a 3.5 year old female in Humba Group, who was observed to be very weak and suffering from cold-like symptoms. Dr. Jan and I left MGVP headquarters in Rwanda at 6 am so we could be at the border by the 7am opening time. Dr. Eddy met us and helped us bring the medical supplies across without drawing questions from the immigration officials. From Goma it was an hour drive to the Virunga National Park headquarters at Rumangabo and then another hour drive to the Bukima ranger station—plenty of time to discuss the options for Kariya Runga.

If she appeared improved Dr. Eddy would simply dart her with antibiotics. If she was worse, a full intervention would be required, a much more complicated process. First she would have to be darted with anesthesia and then Dr. Jan and Dr. Eddy would go to her to administer fluids and antibiotics and take samples for diagnosis back at the lab. The trackers would work together to keep away the other gorillas, most especially the protective ~200 kilo silverback, Humba. This would be Dr. Eddy’s fourth intervention, and Dr. Jan’s first. In 2006 Dr. Eddy treated two gorillas that had their hands caught in wire snares and later he treated a gorilla that survived the 2007 gorilla massacre but had suffered a serious laceration caused by a machete.

Along the road we saw many depressing signs that the illegal charcoal trade in the park was quite active and being supported by the Congo military. We passed by several flatbed trucks carrying thousands of kilos of charcoal, each guarded by armed soldiers,  as well as countless overloaded wooden bicycles being pushed by weary villagers towards Goma. It is suspected that people within the charcoal industry were responsible for the gorilla slayings in 2007 and it is doubtless that charcoal is reason behind much of the deforestation and violence occurring in the park.

We finally reached Bukima around 9:30 am and met the rangers and trackers who would help us find the Humba group. Dr. Jan and I had prepared for a tough climb up the volcano, but the trek was easy. We spent 30 minutes walking through fields along the park’s border and then had an easy 20 minute walk through the forest to the Humba Group. We found the family resting near a small cave, totally unbothered by our presence.  Kariya Runga was nearby napping with Humba, her attentive father, at her side. The mother, Gato, was nearby with her new son, a yet unnamed seven-month-old infant. Dr. Jan observed that all the gorillas, save Kariya Runga, appeared to be well, a hopeful sign that there was not a disease outbreak.

Humba keeping an eye on us.

Kariya Runga eating bamboo with a snotty nose and puffy eyes.

At first Kariya Runga appeared very weak and the Gorilla Doctors suspected that a full intervention would be necessary. However, after 10 minutes the youngster got up and started walking around, covering a good distance in a short amount time, and was eating well. After further observation and discussion Dr. Jan and Dr. Eddy decided it would be best to dart Kariya Runga with antibiotics and then see whether she improved or not over the following days.

Dr. Jan and Dr. Eddy preparing to dart Kariya Runga.

The Gorilla Doctors prepared a dart containing 5 ml of Ceftriaxone, a broad spectrum antibiotic that can cure a range of bacterial infections. Dr. Jan assembled the dart gun while Dr. Eddy carefully measured the correct dose and injected into the dart. Leaving most of the group behind so as to not cause alarm in the gorillas, Dr. Eddy, Dr. Jan, myself, and a tracker went to find the sick gorilla. Darting a gorilla can be difficult, especially if the animal is hiding in dense foliage, but Dr. Eddy had no problem getting a clear shot of Kariya Runga. The gorilla didn’t make a peep when the dart hit her behind; she simply pulled it out and kept on walking.

Dr. Eddy taking aim.

Dr. Jan picked up the discarded dart and saw that the medicine had been delivered. Success!

Successful darting!

The gorilla group settled in a bamboo patch and we saw Kariya Runga eating happily, albeit with a snotty nose. She looked better than any of us had expected and we were hopeful the antibiotics would do the trick. Relieved, we watched the Humba group as they displayed their tree climbing skills. One by one the gorillas climbed a tree, and eventually massive Humba muscled his way up the branches. It was a display that would make tourists drool.

Humba climbing the tree!

On the way back Dr. Jan was called by Dr. Benard, the MGVP veterinarian in Uganda, who said that two silverbacks in Bwindi had been in a fight and sustained injuries. Dr. Bernard was sick so Dr. Jan called Dr. Jean-Felix in Rwanda and asked him to drive to Uganda to evaluate the silverbacks. Eventually he found that the injuries were not serious and no intervention was required.

Back from the forest, mission accomplished.

Later Dr. Jan reached Dr Magda who had alarming news from Rwanda. She and the trackers had reached Pablo group and despite hours of searching they could not find Mukecuru or her baby. Several days later Mukecuru returned to her group but the baby was dead and she was very weak. Forty percent of infant gorillas die within the first year of life, so this baby’s death was not a surprise, but every gorilla death is a blow to the group and to the Gorilla Doctors. This week Mukecuru continues to carry the dead infant buttrackers report that she is getting stronger.

Kariya Runga, thankfully, is doing much better. Dr. Eddy and the Congolese trackers have kept a close watch on her and have seen her steadily improve.”

Help the Gorilla Doctors.

When I’m having a bad day I like to go watch the gorilla orphans we are caring for in Kinigi.  They were the first gorillas I saw after my arrival – while I was in “quarantine” I was able to watch them over the wall of their enclosure, since there was no risk of disease transmission that way.  That first day was magical for me, they are all so happy and healthy now.  They each have a tragic story that is unknown to us – they were confiscated, all as babies.  You can only imagine how they were obtained.  A gorilla mother and her group would not give up her baby willingly.

At Kinigi, we have 6 Grauer’s gorilla orphans (used to be called Eastern Lowland Gorillas) and 2 Mountain Gorilla orphans.  In Goma, DRC there are 2 Mountain gorilla and 3 Grauer’s gorilla orphans.  They are the lucky ones – they survived their early horrible ordeals, and now live comfortably with each other in a large enclosure, cared for by consistent caretakers who love them, provided with a wonderful diet including natural forest food, and provided with good medical care. That’s why I love watching them – they are active, playful, sneaky and funny, and they make me feel happy that we have been able to save their lives, and provide a safe haven for them as they learn to be gorillas again.

Here is a quick introduction to our Kinigi kids:

MAISHA means “life”.  She is a Mountain Gorilla, and was confiscated from poachers when she was roughly three years old in 2004. She and Pinga are oldest orphans, and Maisha is clearly the leader of the group.  She is one of 3 female Mountain Gorillas in human care. The other two are our orphans in Goma, DRC whose mothers were shot during  the gorilla murders there in 2007.

PINGA is a Grauer’s gorilla, also roughly eight years old.  She and Maisha are good friends.  Pinga loves food, and is usually the first and fasted to gather food when it is delivered!

NTABOWBA is a Grauer’s gorilla, roughly seven and a half years old.  He has a flare for mischief, and he regularly patrols the whole enclosure searching for ways to create his own exclusive objects of fun – which might include steeling key from his caretaker and initiating a chase!  His name means “fearless” and he loves to display toward his human visitors, but around Maisha and Pinga he is quite cautious.

KABOKO is roughly 6 years old, and is the only male Mountain gorilla anywhere in the world in human care.  He’s good friends with Ntabowba.  His name means “one missing an arm” – his right hand had to be amputated immediately after his confiscation due to a serious infection caused by a snare. But he gets along quite well and plays, climbs and wrestles just like all the others!

SERUFULI, named after a DRC Governor, is roughly six and a half years old and is another Grauer’s gorilla. She is a quiet, peaceful, beautiful young girl who gets along well with everyone.

ITERBERO, a roughly seven year old Grauer’s gorilla, is a delightful and playful young girl, who is a bit of a tomboy.  She enjoys rough and tumble play with Ntabwoba and Kaboko. Sandy Jones, the person who coordinates all orphan care, tells me she is a very intelligent gorilla – she surprised everyone with her ability for tool use. She developed a technique to crack nuts in the same skilful fashion that wild chimpanzee’s have been seen to demonstrate.

DUNIA is about five years old and is a happy little female Grauer’s gorilla. Although all the gorillas enjoy the enrichment items given to them, Dunia seems to appreciate them the most, sometimes playing for an hour or more with a specific object. While she’ll also play with the other gorillas, she and Tumani seem to have a special relationship.

TUMAINI is roughly three years old, is the youngest orphan in this group and is a real cutie-pie. Although she no longer constantly requests it, she is still provided with the much needed protection, support and comfort of her human caregivers.

Each orphan receives an annual examination, just like a human child.  When they are small that exercise is easy – the caretaker is able to hold the baby while a quick anesthetic injection is given.  When they are bigger, things become a little more complicated!    Yesterday Dr. Magda, Dr. Jean-Felix and I joined Sandy in Kinigi for Pinga’s annual exam.  Pings is big, very wise, and has strong opinions about injections, so there was no safe opportunity for a quick injection!   Pinga has been healthy for the past year, except for a chronic runny nose, only from the right nostril.  This has been off and on for some weeks, with a little more sneezing lately, so we were very interested to get a look in her nose.   We suspected she had what we call a “foreign body” in that nostril, since she had never been sick, but there were any number of other potential causes of this intermittent, chronic discharge.  We’d soon find out!

We set up our “clinic” in the kitchen of the orphan facility, and prepared to shoot a flying dart at Pinga, that was filled with anesthetic.  Easier said than done.  As soon as the group saw the dart pistol and pole they were on red alert, and somehow Pinga figured out that she was the object of our attention.  The gorillas are very tuned into body language.  There were many grunts and serious, suspicious looks as we tried to out maneuver and out wit our little girl.   Thirty minutes later, after much patience, Dr. Magda fired the pistol, successfully injecting the drug into Pinga’s leg.  It was interesting that as she moved off to go to sleep under the watchful eyes of the caregivers, the others immediately dropped their defensive postures and came right over to us to get treats, although all had an eye on Dr. Magda!

Once Pinga was fully asleep, the others were distracted with food and the caregivers carefully carried her out of the enclosure and onto our exam table.  Pinga was given a thorough physical examination, just like at the pediatrician’s office.  We looked into her eyes, ears and mouth. Counted her teeth.  Checked for injury.  Listened to her heart and lungs and palpated her abdomen.  She was given her annual TB test.  Blood was collected for all manner of tests.  She had already been given all her routine vaccines, so no further injections were necessary.  Then it was time to look in her nose.  We have an instrument that supplies light for looking into a small space, and oh my, there was a lot of white, gooey material way up in her nostril.  A culture swab was taken so we could find out what bacteria were causing the infection, and then we carefully inserted a hemostat into the nostril to see what we could find.  After only 3 tries a 1 inch stick was produced!   Poor Pinga!  This has been the cause of her discomfort, and she should feel MUCH better in a day or so.  It was a relief for us to find a simple solution to her minor medical condition.

Dr. Jean-Felix and Dr. Magdalena examining sedated Pinga

Dr. Magdalena doing the TB test on Pinga’s eyelid

Dr. Jean-Felix examining the nostril in question

The stick we pulled out of her nostril

We were done with Pinga’s exam after 40 minutes, and it was time to wake her up.  Caregivers carried her back into the enclosure while Sandy tried to distract the others with food.  But the return of Pinga proved to be too interesting, and the group left their treats to watch the proceedings as Pinga was placed into the night house for her recovery.  She woke up quickly, but stayed in the night house for a bit until caregivers felt she was completely back to normal behavior.   I’m anxious to see how quickly her nostril clears up.  I remember when my niece had a bead in her nostril when she was little – once it came out at the pediatrician’s office she had immediate relief!!!

All the orphans crowding around the night house to get a look at Pinga while she recovered.

Over the next several weeks we will be doing examinations on each of the other orphans.  They will receive TB tests, routine vaccinations and all the other monitoring required to be sure they continue to stay healthy and happy.

Help the Gorilla Doctors.