Mountain gorillas are one of humanity’s closest genetic cousins. One thousand years ago, these majestic great apes once roamed in forests all across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda, but centuries of deforestation and unsustainable human activity have reduced their range down to a fraction of what it one was. Today, mountain gorillas live in fragile populations found in only two parks—Virunga National Park in the DRC, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. This makes conserving the remaining mountain gorillas critically important.
Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), one of WCN’s Conservation Partners, protects endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and was recently featured in CNN’s Call to Earth: Kings of the Forest. Thanks to their incredible work, mountain gorilla numbers are steadily increasing.
Led by Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, CTPH focuses on improving the health of communities living adjacent to gorillas so that disease transfer from humans to gorillas is reduced. They also provide local people with improved economic opportunities, so pressures from food scarcity and unsustainable livelihoods do not have negative effects on the gorillas and their habitat. By addressing the needs of both people and gorillas, CTPH builds harmony and a better future for both species.
Gladys has been fascinated by mountain gorillas since she first saw the species as a student in 1994. She became Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian in 1996, and for 30 years, Gladys and CTPH have helped Bwindi’s gorilla population grow from 300 to more than 450 individuals.
“The mountain gorillas have really shaped my life,” says Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. And in turn, “the gorillas have really transformed Uganda, and brought Ugandan conservation and tourism back on the map.”
Watch the full Call to Earth special about CTPH and Bwindi’s mountain gorillas on CNN, and read more about Gladys’ journey as a groundbreaking conservation leader.