Conservation NGOs Unite for "Peace"
A 14-year-old young silverback in a Karisoke research
gorilla group was recently very sick following a prolonged respiratory
infection. Amahoro, a name meaning "peace" in Kinyarwanda, became
lethargic, did not eat and was having difficulty keeping up with his group.
The group, however, adjusted their travel speed to avoid leaving him behind.
There are five young silverbacks in this group, and one in particular,
Gwiza, was an almost constant companion of the invalid.
When it was clear that Amahoro's condition was deteriorating,
we contacted the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)
in Uganda in the absence of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Center vets
from Rwanda. IGCP contacted Wayne Boardman, working at the Uganda Wildlife
Education Centre. We had lengthy discussions of whether or not to intervene
and if so how. Vince Smith of Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF) Europe
also participated in the debate. After an evaluation visit, Wayne Boardman
discussed Amahoro's condition by telephone with Antoine Mudakikwa and
Mike Cranfield of MGVP and Liz Macfie, Veterinary Advisor to IGCP.
The following day we successfully darted Amahoro
with two antibiotics. His weak state contributed to the ease of the intervention
– a vocalisation would have drawn the attention of the dominant silverback
– but Amahoro hardly reacted to the dart, he simply went to his mother,
Pandora, for comfort. He has now fully recovered and was an enthusiastic
participant during a recent inter-group interaction. Thanks to everyone
involved.
Liz Williamson
Dr. Liz Williamson studied gorillas in Gabon from 1984 until 1990, when she became the Director of the Nyungwe Forest Conservation Project, Rwanda. She was involved in gorilla surveys in Congo/Zaire and Cameroon in 1994 and 1995. Until the end of 2001 she was the Director of the Karisoke Research Centre.
Photo: Liz Williamson
Amahoro stays close to his mother