Once again, I'm blogging with Wildlife Direct to raise funds for conservation.  This new blog is titled, “Helping Otters—Big and Small.”

I've posted the first otter blog here.  For the rest, please go to the Wildlife Direct.  Here's that link:

Sappho, female Giant Otter, Karanambu, Guyana, SA, September 2006

I’m excited to be posting once again on Wildlife Direct.  My first blog, “Gorilla Doctors,” ran from October 2007 through July 2009.  Here’s the link.  I loved writing about my patients—and reading everyone’s comments.  Even better, the blog did what it was intended to do.  It raised thousands of dollars for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project.  Though most of the donations were small, they added up.  I hope we can do just as much, if not more, for the otters. 
 
Otters have occupied a special place in my heart ever since I read Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell.  There’s something very endearing about these athletic, powerful, and playful animals.  In some ways, they remind me of dogs.  In other ways, they’re cat-like.  They can be tamed, but only to a point, as Maxwell and many other people have discovered.  Ultimately, water is their home.

Rupununi River, Karanambu, Guyana, SA

This is Nyandwi (ni-an-dwi), a young female mountain gorilla.  She was my last patient before I left Rwanda, where I worked for nearly three years as a gorilla doctor for MGVP, Inc (www.gorilladoctors.com.)  As you can see, Nyandwi wasn’t the least bit concerned about the loop of rope snare wrapped around her arm.  But we were: the rope would eventually cut off circulation to her hand.  We had to intervene.  Fortunately, this didn’t happen often.  I treated just 16 gorillas during my time in central Africa.  But that was enough, given the fact that most of the problems we dealt with were human-induced—like Nyandwi’s snare. 

One of the most important things I learned from my experience as a gorilla doctor was the need to keep one eye on the patient and the other on the bigger picture. We couldn’t treat the gorillas as if they were the only animals in their ecosystem.  Their health was linked to the health of the local people, their livestock, and the other wildlife in the park, in addition to the staff that visit them on a daily basis.  As field manager for MGVP, part of my job was to coordinate a number of programs designed to improve the health of the community surrounding the gorilla parks in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  We called this approach “one-health medicine.”  The use of sustainable sources of energy is just one example.  Here’s a photo of a human hospital in Rwanda that uses biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) made from cow manure. 

This is my last post as a gorilla doctor - I am leaving the MGVP, Inc. field team as of the end of July 2009, though I will continue on as a scientific advisor to the project. 

Dr. Jan Ramer, also an American zoo and wildlife vet, will be taking my place as regional field veterinary manager, and I know she will be blogging, too!  She arrives in Rwanda in early August.  I've included a few photos of my most memorable patients below.  The full photoessay (16 patients) is on WildlifeDirect in two parts.

Icyi under anesthesia on November 23, 2006 in Pablo Group, RW.

Umurava with eye injury on February 3, 2007 in Pablo Group, RW.

Umoja, severely injured, with his mother, Nyiramurema on April 26 2008 in Kwitonda Group, RW.

. . . .So what am I doing next?  My chief concern is to continue to promote and practice one-health medicine.  From my work with the gorillas and people of central Africa, I’ve learned what it takes to make this approach work.  Now I want to apply it elsewhere. 

As I see it, the way to achieve a healthy planet is to meet the needs of all species, including humans.  By making decisions that benefit more than one species, we can create a healthier environment for all.

For example, the health of the mountain gorillas is tied to the health of everything in their ecosystem, including humans.  Healthy gorillas mean healthy ecotourism, which in turn translates into a more prosperous economy and improved health for the local people.

I've just come home from Africa, finishing work as a gorilla doctor after a little over 2.5 years.  It was a challenging, exhausting, and exhilrating job.  I'll start blogging regularly here after I get over the jet lag, but for now wanted to post some pictures of several memorable mountain gorilla infants who have been recent patients.  Here they are:

Ntaribi in Bwenge Group.  This infant was born with contracted tendons in his arms and legs.  As you can see, he is extremely agile and playful in the trees.  On the ground, though, he does not move normally.  The only thing the vets can do is monitor him.

Imena in Susa Group. We treated Imena and his mother, Ururabo, last May (2008) for severe respiratory tract illness.  Both recovered fully.  Every once in a while, I think Imena recognizes me!

Mushya in Isabukuru Group.  We treated this infant for severe hair loss.  He was also incredibly itchy.  The source of the problem was intestinal parasites.  Both he and his mother were loaded.  They were treated once with an antiparasitic drug and recovered completely.

We recently removed a rope snare from the infant, Inkumbuza (in the middle), in Shinda-Ugenda group.  I hope he's learned what these traps look like. 

Submitted by Lucy on May 31, 2009 - 8:44pm.

The Newst Orphan: Amani

Though I haven’t met our newest orphan in person, I feel as though I know her. She’s the sixth gorilla our team has helped rescued in the 2.5 years since I started work for the vet project. That’s six too many. All three of the mountain gorillas survived, one of the two Grauer’s did not.

So when Eddy called to say that park (ICCN) officials in DRC had asked for his help to confiscate a baby gorilla, I said yes, of course. Unfortunately, this was all very familiar and we knew what to do. Eddy made sure the park staff had arranged for a place for the new gorilla to live, temporarily, while I got on the phone to Magda and Sandy. I wasn’t sure how many of us should go help Eddy. Much would depend on the orphan’s age and strength—as well as how afraid she was of people.

I also knew from experience that we had to wait until the gorilla was safely in hand. Sadly, we’ve been on alert for orphans that never made it to us. Sometimes it’s misinformation. At least one gorilla turned out to be a goat. In most cases, though, the poachers get away and the fate of the orphan is unknown.

Musyha Update

For the complete entry on Mushya - see my blog on Discovery Channel Quest

or Wildlife Direct Gorilla Doctors

Every hike up into the forest feels different to me, despite the fact that I now have a pretty good idea of the terrain and—at least in Rwanda—the gorillas.  I think it’s because no two visits are ever the same.  I’m bound to learn something new, for one thing.  For another, my mind is usually focused on the purpose of my visit.  If it’s a routine health check, I’m thinking about when I last saw the group, their names, and medical histories, if any.  When there’s a patient to see, I’m filled with anticipation.

On my most recent visit to check on the infant Mushya, I couldn’t wait to get there.  I knew he was doing well, so well, in fact, that I had a feeling this would be the last time I’d have excuse to visit him as a “patient.”  It was time to take him, and his mother, Icyizere, off the case list.  I also knew there was a new baby in the group that I hoped to photograph for the park service.  It’s the time of year when they’re assembling baby pictures for the upcoming naming ceremony.  ...

Orphan Gorilla Health Exams

Here's a recent photo of Mushya.  He's doing great!

His story is now up on Discovery Channel's website - click here.

Here's my latest blog from Rwanda: 

Working in the Rain: Inkumbuza’s Snare 

I have a new answer to the question, “How often do gorillas get caught in snares?”  Two years ago, I would’ve said very rarely.  Now my reply is too often.  Today we removed another snare, the seventh in less than two years.  Our patient was Inkumbuza, a three-and-a-half-year-old mountain gorilla from Shinda Group.

Inkumbuza with a rope snare around his left arm, Shinda Group, Rwanda, 2 Mar 09

Inkumbuza first got into trouble two days ago.  Veronica, the research coordinator for the Karisoke Research Center, called me with the bad news.  The trackers had arrived to find the young gorilla in a rope snare.  I could imagine the scene: Inkumbuza screaming and pulling madly on his arm, causing the bamboo tied to the other end of the rope to sway wildly, while his agitated family yelled at each other over access to him. Shinda Group is a particularly vocal one, and apparently their reaction to this incident was no exception.   

Here's my latest blog post, and a link to where it is posted on WildlifeDirect - with photos!

A Day with the Experts

I recently spent a memorable day with Dr. George Schaller and Dr. Amy Vedder.  Along with Dian Fossey, they helped save the mountain gorilla from extinction.  George’s life is the subject of an upcoming National Geographic film in which he returns to the wilderness areas he studied 50 years ago.  He was spending a week in Rwanda to do a number of interviews.  On this day, I was invited to join him and Amy for a tourist visit to Group 13.  My role was to talk about gorilla health.

George was the first scientist to make a serious study of mountain gorillas.  From 1959-1960, he and his wife lived at Kabara, near the base of Mount Mikeno (one of the five volcanoes in the Virunga Massif) on the DR Congo side of the gorilla park.  On our way into the forest on the Rwandan side, we stopped to take a photo of the area where George had lived.  From our vantage point, of course, there was no way we could actually see his field site on the other side.  But we got the idea.