prev ious benign visits, but she can-
not know for sure. “There’s a level of
understanding in animals that we
may never be able to decode,” she
says. “It’s the kind of thing that gives
you goosebumps.”
While the members of Buzinza’s
group continued to graze in the sur-
rounding forest, the intervention team
hoisted the dozing gorilla onto a tarp
and hooked her to a pulse oximeter
that monitored her heart rate and her
blood’s oxygen levels. Her vitals were
stable. Denstedt noticed inflamed,
tooth-sized puncture wounds on the
gorilla’s injured arm and swelling
around her elbow joint. This was not
a break; it was a bite. Gorilla families
squabble, too, and Denstedt suspects
Buzinza had tussled with anoth-
er member of her group. Cranfield
trimmed the hair away from the
puncture – a wound matted with pus
and serum will attract flies. Then he
flushed the area clean.
Afterwards, Denstedt lifted Buz-
inza’s injured arm and gently placed
it on an X-ray plate. The image that
appeared confirmed there was no
fracture. Instead, Buzinza was suf-
fering from osteomyelitis, an aggres-
sive bone lesion brought on by an
infection caused by the bite. “That
type of condition is incredibly se-
rious,” Denstedt says. “If a human
had osteomyelitis, they would be in
the hospital on IV antibiotics. It’s
amazing that Buzinza was walk-
ing around like that for a number of
days.” Without treatment, she would
likely die of sepsis.
Denstedt spent about 15 minutes
taking X-rays of Buzinza’s arm and
shoulder. As she worked, Denstedt
soothed her: “You’re all right. You’re
fine.” Denstedt whispers these words
to all her patients – dogs, cats and
gorillas alike.
“It’s hard to know what they are
comforted by and how much they re-
ally feel when we are touching them.
But you still find yourself saying reas-
suring things,” Denstedt explains. “I
don’t know that it calms them in any
way. Maybe it just calms us.”The treatment took about an hour.
The Gorilla Doctors gave Buzinza
injections of antibiotics, vitamins
and anti-inf lammatory medication.
Then they administered a drug to
counteract the anaesthesia and
watched as she groggily came to.
They observed her until she was able
to move steadily, then left her alone
to join her family.AS DENSTEDT TOOK
X-RAYS OF BUZINZA’S
ARM, SHE WHISPERED
SOOTHING WORDS:
“YOU’RE ALL RIGHT.
YOU’RE FINE”32 Augus t 2019
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