Kagera, who is estimated to be 1.5 years old, is a male infant born to mother Rubaka during the M23 rebel occupation of the Mikeno Sector in 2012. He is one of only two infants in Bageni group in Virunga National Park. With M23 occupying the gorilla sector during the time of his birth, Gorilla Doctors was not able to safely conduct routine health monitoring of the habituated mountain gorillas, so the first time Kagera was observed by one our veterinarians was on February 11, 2013. Since then, he has been in good health and growing larger and stronger by the day.

The two infants in Bageni group in Virunga National Park.

Last weekend, Chief Park Warden of the Mikeno Sector Innocent Mburanumwe contacted Gorilla Doctors after Kagera was seen with a snare wrapped around his right leg. The remnants of the snare were trailing the baby as he moved around and Kagera was reportedly limping. To make matters worse, his mother was observed leaving him behind to travel on his own as the group moved in the rain (instead of carrying him on her back as is typical with a young infant).  

Drs. Eddy and Martin immediately made the journey from Goma to Rumangabo, prepared to intervene and remove the snare on Sunday, August 16. Here is Dr. Eddy’s report:

“Early Sunday morning, Dr. Martin and I joined a team of ICCN rangers and trekked from the Gatovu patrol post up to Bageni group, loaded down with intervention equipment and supplies. An advance team of trackers had moved in ahead to locate the group and found them in the Hagarara area. They radioed to us, providing details of the group’s exact location and we quickly made our way through the dense forest.

When we arrived to the group, dominant silverback Bageni was resting with two females and both infants. Kagera was resting on his mother, Rubaka, and the nylon rope snare was wrapped loosely around his right ankle.

Silverback Bageni resting with adult female Rubaka and her infant Kagera.

We observed three wounds on the sole of his foot and his leg was slightly swollen. When the group began moving, the infant followed his mother, dragging his leg and crying out, likely because the wounds on his foot were causing him pain and he didn’t want to be left behind. We made the decision to anesthetize both the infant and his mother to ensure the intervention could be completed safely for both the infant and the field team.

At 11:07am, mother Rubaka was anesthetized with a combination of Ketamine and Dexmedetomidine, while Kagera was darted with Ketamine alone for sedation. When the baby was darted, he screamed, alerting silverback Bageni who quickly moved in to stand guard over the mother and infant. 

About 10 minutes passed and both animals were fully sedated when silverback Bageni allowed us to approach. We removed the rope snare, cleaned the wounds with Betadine, administered antibiotics and anti-inflammatory/pain medications and conducted physical exams of both animals. We also collected blood, fecal and urine samples, as well as oral and nasal swabs for future research and testing. 

Dr. Eddy removes the rope snare from the infant’s ankle.

The infant’s foot had small superficial wounds, likely from other group members trying to remove the snare.

Drs. Eddy and Martin work quickly to remove the snare, complete a physical exam and collect samples.

Once the intervention was complete, the mother woke first and moved off into the forest after the group. We carried Kagera, who was still groggy from the anesthesia, to the group so that he would not be left behind and another subadult female stepped in to care for the baby in place of his mother. After 40 minutes, Rubaka reappeared and retrieved Kagera, carrying him away into the dense vegetation.

Trackers will continue to closely monitor the situation to make sure that Kagera’s wounds don’t become infected and his behavior, feeding and energy level remains normal. Drs. Eddy or Martin will revisit the group in the coming days to assess the infant’s condition.

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This is the eighth gorilla that Gorilla Doctors has freed from a poacher’s snare this year. Help us ensure that every ensnared gorilla will receive treatment through an emergency medical intervention by making a secure online donation today:

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