Reader's Digest - USA (2019-08)

Babygorillasoftenpanicandscream
whentheirmothersgounder,and
thiscandistressthewholegroup.
Sometimesbabiesneedtobeanaes-
thetisedjusttokeepeveryonecalm

• doctorsandgorillasalike.
  Suspicioussilverbackscancause
  evenmoretroublebydecidingto
  ‘protect’their sleeping kin and
  threatentheapproachingdoctors.
  They may even charge and bite, so

portersandtrackersmuststandin
a perimeteraroundtheworkingvet-
erinarians.
Onthisday,though,theentire
Rusheguragroupwasjustasunim-
pressedbythe doctors as Buzinza’s
babywas.

INHERFORMERROLEasanERvet,
Denstedthandledintensivecas-
es– dogsrunoverbycars,forex-
ample,orfelinecancers.Although
she’strainedtofocusonhertask,
shefindsitimpossiblenottoform
anemotionalconnection with the

animalsshetreats.“Allmypatients

mattertome,”shesays.“Mostof

themhavenames,andifyouspend

enoughtimewiththemyoufeelre-

sponsiblefortheircare.”

Thesimilaritybetweenthegorillas

andhumansbringsanevengreat-

ersenseofconnection.“Whenthey

lookatyou,youcanalmostsensethis

extralevelofunderstandingand

intelligence,”Denstedtexplains.“I

thinkdogsaresmart,butthere’sjust

somethingaboutlookingattheface

ofa gorilla.Itfeelshuman-like.”

Thegorillasbehavelikehumans,

too.Denstedtrecallshowjuve-

nilegorillaswilloftensneakupon

a trackerora guide,touchtheirleg,

thenscurr yoffasifplayinga game

oftag.Gorillasarenotsupposedto

getthatclosetohumans,andthe

trackersscold theseyoungsters

withrepetitivegruntsthatindicate

• inmockgorillalanguage–that
  theyshouldstopmessingaround.
  Likenaughtychildrenevery where,
  though,someofthemignorethe
  rebukeandsneakuptotagagain.
  Sometimesthegorillasevenseem
  toknowthedoctors’intentions.
  InSeptember2017,ababynamed
  MayanioftheRugendogroupwas
  caughtina poacher’ssnareinthe
  Democrat icRepublicoftheCon-
  go.Trackershadmanagedtocut
  Mayaniloose,butGorillaDoctors
  werecalledintoremovea lengthof
  nyloncordtightly wound around the
  b a b y ’s w r i s t.

“THERE’S JUST

SOMETHINGABOUT

LOOKINGAT THE

FACE OFA GORILLA.

IT FEELSHUMAN-LIKE,”

SAYS DENSTEDT

(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) ROBERT HAASMANN/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY OF EMILY DENSTEDT; SKYLER BISHOP

30 Augus t 2019

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