Reader's Digest - USA (2019-08)

dedicatedtokeepingtheworld’s 1000

mountaingorillasfromgoingextinct.

TheNGOservesthehealthneedsof

theanimalslivinginthisforest,as

wellasthoseinhabitingthenearby

VirungaMassif:threecontiguous

nationalparksspanningtheborder-

landsofUganda,Rwandaandthe

DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo.

Denstedt,31,joinedtheteam

in2017,threeyearsafterearninga

doctorateinveterinarymedicine

fromtheOntarioVeterinaryCol-

legeattheUniversityofGuelph.In

bet ween,shetreatedanimalsatan

emergencyclinic– butshefeltdrawn

tomorenaturalenvironsthanthe

sterilespaceswherecityvetswork.

“I’vealwaysbeenpassionateabout

wildlifemedicine,”shesays.“Ilike

work i ngw it hpeople’spets,butit

wasnotthedifferenceI wanted to

makefortheworld.”

THEANIMALHABITATSwhereGo-

rillaDoctorsworkaresurround-

edbysomeofthehighestrural

human-populationdensitiesonthe

planet. And people, as it turns out, (PREVIOUS SPREAD, LEFT) ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; (PREVIOUS SPREAD, RIGHT) ANDREY GUDKOV/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Mountaingorillastendtomove

arounda lot,soit’snotalwayseasy

tofindthem,andthiswastheteam’s

seconddayonBuzinza’strail.The

doctorshadspentalloftheprevious

morningandafternoontrackingthe

gorilla’sfamily,onlytohaveBuzin-

zascamperintoa treetopwhenthey

finallyspottedher.Shestayedthere

untilnightfall– toolateandtoodark

foranintervention.

Theteamwasluckierthenextday,

however.Theyhadtopushthrough

theforestforonlya fewminutesbe-

forecominguponBuzinzaandtherest

ofherfamily– nearly 20 gorillasinall

• gatheredina smallclearing.Shewas
  onthegroundeatingleaveswhileher
  threeyearoldclungtoherback.
  Denstedtwasnervousapproach-
  ingthegorillas.Shealwaysis.“You
  justhavetocrossyourfingersthat
  it’sgoingtogowell,butbeprepared
  fortheunknown,”shesays.“Ialways
  hopeI candoa goodjobandnotlet
  myteamdown.”
  GorillaDoctorsisaninternational
  groupofabout 25 wildlifeveterinar-
  ians,biologists and support staff

READER’SDIGEST

O

nanearlyJanuarymorningin2018,Emily

DenstedtandherfellowGorillaDoctors

trekkedsinglefileintothethickfernand

vinesofUganda’sBwindiImpenetrable

Forest.TheyweresearchingforBuzinza,the

matriarchoftheRusheguramountaingorillagroup,

because they feared she had broken her arm.

26 Augus t 2019