Gorilla Journal 35, December 2007

Eastern Gorilla Orphans: Update

This year has seen several tragic events involving the deaths of mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a result of two of these incidents, infants Ndakasi and Ndeze now find themselves without their mothers and are being cared for by the partnership of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, and the ICCN in Goma.
At 5 and 7 months old respectively, the young gorillas have adapted well to their new situation and receive 24 hour care from their surrogate mothers, a dedicated team of caregivers providing physical and psychological support. This team includes André Bauma, an experienced ICCN mountain gorilla tracker who has reared several of the confiscated Grauer's gorillas currently cared for at the confiscated eastern gorilla interim quarantine facility in Rwanda.
Given their ages, both Ndakasi and Ndeze are dependent on milk for nutrition, therefore returning them to the wild at this point is not possible and decisions about their future have yet to be made. Therefore, round-the-clock care of these infants will continue, with the goal of ensuring that they grow up healthy and as behaviourally normal as possible.
Currently, the confiscated eastern gorilla interim quarantine facility houses 6 Grauer's gorillas, Ntabwoba, Pinga, Serafuli, Dunia, Tumaini, and Itebero, and two mountain gorillas, Maisha and Kaboko.

Lucy Spelman

More about the orphans on Lucy Spelman's blog

Dr. Lucy Spelman is the Regional Veterinary Manager for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP Inc.) in the D. R. Congo.

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