Reader\'s Digest Australia - 08.2019

make terrible neighbours. Mountain
gorillas have always faced habitat
destruction and poaching at the
hands of the humans in their midst.
They die because of civil unrest and
military conf lict; they get caught in
snares hunters set for antelope; and
they risk catching human respira-
tory diseases. As a result of all that,
the mountain-gorilla population has
languished between 300 and 400 for
most of the last 30 years.
When a species is so critically

endangered, the survival of every
individual matters. Such a serious
situation calls for ‘extreme conser-
v a t i o n’.
Conventional wildlife conserva-
tion efforts try to limit the negative
human effects on an individual
species or specific ecosystem – by
protecting wildlife habitat against
industrial pollution, say, or by en-
forcing rules against hunting. The ex-
treme version takes a more hands-on
approach by increasing our positive
influence.

FOR GORILLA DOCTORS,that means

protecting the species by saving them

one at a time. Forty-two groups of ha-

bituated gorillas – those families that

have grown accustomed to humans

• are continually monitored during
  daylight hours by trackers who fol-
  low them through the forest. They
  also receive monthly health checks
  by local field veterinarians who
  examine stool samples and watch
  for visible signs of injury or dis-
  ease, such as weight loss, weakness,
  laboured breathing or a discoloured
  coat. When a gorilla shows any of
  these symptoms, the team discusses
  whether or not to step in.
  “There are only really two scenar-
  ios where we’ll do an intervention,”
  Denstedt explains. “The first is if
  humans were responsible – such as
  when a gorilla gets caught in a snare.
  The second is when we’re pretty sure
  they are not going to pull through on
  their own. Otherwise we let nature
  do its thing.” Besides freeing goril-
  las from traps and treating the sub-
  sequent wounds, Gorilla Doctors
  have most often intervened to care
  for serious respiratory infections and
  injuries caused by conf licts between
  the animals themselves.
  Gorilla Doctors’ African field vets
  make most of these forest ‘house
  calls’. The Rwandan government,
  in par ticular, prefers they send local
  doctors to treat gorillas rather than
  relying on foreign veterinarians.
  But for cases that require X-rays

FIELD VETS WATCH

FOR SIGNS OF INJURY

OR DISEASE, SUCH

AS WEAKNESS,

WEIGHT LOSS AND

LABOURED BREATHING

27

Can We Save the Mountain Gorilla?