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Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is a Ugandan wildlife vet and one of the best-known people working to protect mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. She was Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary officer, founded the organisation Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), and was named a UN Champion of the Earth in 2021 for linking gorilla health with the health of the people who live beside the forest.
From vet to conservationist
After training as a vet, she joined Uganda Wildlife Authority in the 1990s as its first vet. Soon afterwards, a scabies outbreak in a habituated Bwindi gorilla family was traced to clothing from people in nearby villages, showing how easily diseases pass between people and gorillas. That experience shaped her life’s work.
Conservation Through Public Health
She founded CTPH in 2003 to improve health and hygiene in communities around Bwindi while protecting gorillas from human diseases. The organisation trains village volunteers in health and family planning, monitors gorilla health and supports the Gorilla Conservation Coffee brand, which pays farmers near the park a premium for their coffee. CTPH also runs a camp near Buhoma where visitors can learn about its work.
Recognition and legacy
Her work has been recognised internationally, including the UN Environment Programme’s Champion of the Earth award in 2021, and she has written about her career in a memoir. Her approach of treating people, wildlife and the environment together is now widely used in conservation. See our guide to women in Ugandan conservation.
How visitors can support the work
Visit the CTPH camp or buy Gorilla Conservation Coffee, follow trekking health rules, and do not trek if you are ill. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. Read about tourism and local communities, Bwindi and how permit revenue is spent.
Frequently asked questions
A Ugandan wildlife vet who founded Conservation Through Public Health.
It links community health and gorilla health around Bwindi.
The UN Environment Programme’s Champion of the Earth award.
Yes, by visiting its camp near Buhoma or buying Gorilla Conservation Coffee.
