Mountain gorillas share approximately 98.3% of their DNA with humans — a genetic closeness that is simultaneously the source of their conservation charisma and the reason they are vulnerable to virtually every human respiratory pathogen. When a habituated gorilla at Bwindi shows signs of illness, the response is not simply observation and waiting. It involves a specialised veterinary organisation, Gorilla Doctors, whose teams provide medical care to wild mountain gorillas across Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo — making these animals among the most intensively medically monitored wild animals on the planet.
Who are Gorilla Doctors?
Gorilla Doctors — formally the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project — is a non-profit organisation established in 1986 with support from the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. The organisation employs veterinarians and veterinary technicians based in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC who respond to health emergencies in habituated gorilla populations. They conduct routine health monitoring of all habituated families, intervene surgically when necessary (removing snares, treating injuries), administer vaccinations against measles and other diseases with pandemic potential in gorillas, and conduct research on gorilla health that informs global conservation policy. The organisation is funded primarily by donations and has treated hundreds of individual gorillas since its founding.
Intervention decisions: when to treat and when to observe
The decision to intervene medically in a wild animal is never taken lightly. Intervention requires immobilising the gorilla — a dangerous procedure for the animal and for the veterinary team — and treating it in conditions far from surgical theatre quality. The threshold for intervention is therefore set above the level that would trigger treatment in a zoo or captive context: a gorilla with a mild respiratory infection will be monitored closely but not immobilised; a gorilla with a snare wound that is causing mobility limitation or showing signs of septicaemia will be treated. The cost-benefit analysis involves the severity of the health risk, the likelihood of the condition resolving naturally, the risk of the immobilisation procedure itself and the individual animal’s importance to the group’s social structure.
Snare removal: the most common intervention at Bwindi
Wire snares set in the forest to catch duikers and other small mammals represent the most common source of gorilla injury requiring veterinary intervention at Bwindi. Gorillas are not the target of these snares — they are incidental victims who investigate or step into snares set for other species. A wire noose around a gorilla’s hand or foot, if not removed, causes progressive injury as the animal grows and the wire tightens, eventually leading to necrosis and loss of the limb. The rangers’ snare removal patrols — daily walks along known snaring areas that find and destroy snares before they injure animals — represent the primary prevention strategy. Gorilla Doctors’ snare removal surgeries address cases where prevention has failed.
Disease surveillance and pandemic prevention
The COVID-19 pandemic created a period of acute concern for gorilla populations worldwide. Gorilla Doctors and Bwindi’s management teams implemented enhanced protective protocols for gorilla contact — including extended mask requirements, reduced group sizes and intensified health screening for rangers — based on evidence that gorillas are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. When several habituated gorillas in Rwanda tested positive for COVID-19 in 2021 (apparently transmitted from an asymptomatic human ranger), the incident validated the concern and reinforced the protocols. Uganda’s gorilla population has not had a confirmed COVID transmission event as of the most recent reporting, partly attributed to the enhanced protocols implemented during the pandemic and partly to the relatively isolated position of Bwindi’s gorilla groups.
What visitors contribute to gorilla health
Gorilla Doctor fees and programmes are funded in part through a component of the gorilla permit revenue, in part through the UWA gorilla levy and in part through donations from individuals and foundations. Visitors who donate directly to Gorilla Doctors — whose website provides transparent programme reporting and allows restricted and unrestricted giving — are contributing to the specific medical infrastructure that keeps habituated gorilla populations healthy enough to be visited. The connection between a visitor’s permit fee, their potential direct donation and the veterinary care that a specific named gorilla might receive in the coming year is a concrete illustration of how gorilla tourism converts visitor interest into conservation outcome.
