Title: Head Veterinarian, DR Congo
Gorilla Doctor Since: 2004
Memorable Moment: In July 2010, I participated in the translocation of a 15-year-old silverback led by Dr. Jan Ramer. The young silverback had spent days outside the forest for crop raiding in a busy village market. I had to dart the silverback in a risky environment crowded with people. From that event I learned a lot about teamwork building, the anesthetic drugs combination we use, and anesthesia monitoring. It helped me become more confident.
Vision for the Future of Eastern Gorilla Conservation: My personal vision is to train as many young veterinarians as we can to pursue the great mission of Gorilla Doctors with respect to the One Health approach. I would also love, when resources allow, for Gorilla Doctors to enlarge their list of patients to other endangered species beyond gorillas.
Favorite Animal/s (besides gorillas of course): My favorite animal other than gorillas is the dog (and my kids like dogs very much too).
Recent Blog Posts
Select Publications
- Viability analysis for population reinforcement of Grauer’s gorillas at Mount Tshiaberimu, Journal of Wildlife Management, 2023.
- Endangered mountain gorillas and COVID-19: One Health lessons for prevention and preparedness during a global pandemic, American Journal of Primatology, 2022.
- Metastatic perioral melanoma in a wild mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), Journal of Medical Primatology, 2021.
