In Central Africa, with the last mountain gorillas, saved from extinction

Forty years after the death of American primatologist Dian Fossey on December 26, 1985, mountain gorillas are officially saved from extinction, but new challenges loom over the species endemic to the mountain forests of Central Africa, an area straddling the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

You hear them before you see them. A muffled drumming, rumbling, then a rustle in the bamboo leaves. Suddenly, a dark mass emerges from the vegetation, followed by another, then a third. The gorillas dart past the veterinarians like cannonballs. “They’re playful today ,” whispers Dr. Gaspard Nzayisenga, trying to avoid any contact with the youngsters. In the heart of Volcanoes National Park, located in northwestern Rwanda and straddling the territories of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, this gorilla doctor is tracking a group of 15 individuals named Amahoro (“peace” in Kinyarwanda) on the morning of December 15th . He finds them in a bamboo forest, not far from the park’s border.

The veterinarian crawls on all fours, searching for the right angle to observe without disturbing the animals. Once in position, he takes out his camera and begins his remote assessment, based on seven parameters, including the condition of the skin and fur, but also appetite and the consistency and color of the excrement, to detect any potential gastrointestinal problems. A subordinate silverback gorilla, injured in a fight with the dominant male two days earlier, catches the Rwandan veterinarian’s attention. The wounds are located on the top of his head and on his left thigh. “They are not deep and are healing well,” observes the doctor from Volcanoes National Park.