Our History
Growing Together
Mountain Gorilla Recovery + Gorilla Doctors’ Key Milestones
First Rwandan Gorilla Doctor + MGVP Expands to Uganda
Dr. Antoine (Tony) Mudakikwa becomes the first-ever Rwandan gorilla doctor (Dr. Tony advances to field director in 2001)
~616 Mountain Gorillas
A Bwindi survey revises the previous population estimate to 2926; Virunga Massif population estimate from 1989 of 324
Dr. Mike Cranfield becomes the director of MGVP
MGVP Pioneers Employee Health Program
MGVP partners with human health professionals to pioneer an employee health program providing annual physicals, immunizations, referrals, eyeglasses, and health education to park staff and families
~695 Mountain Gorillas
Virunga Massif population estimate of 3809; Bwindi population estimate from 2002 of 315
MGVP Expands Health Monitoring to Grauer’s Gorillas + More
- Health monitoring in DR Congo expands to Grauer’s gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega and Virunga National Parks
- MGVP acquires 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in the United States, becoming an independent organization from the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF). MAF director Dr. Rob Hilsenroth is a founding board member along with Elizabeth ‘Billie’ Grieb and Roger Powell
Gorilla Doctors first logo in 2009
MGVP Becomes GORILLA DOCTORS + More
MGVP becomes Gorilla Doctors when it partners with the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Kirsten Gilardi becomes co-director with Dr. Mike (Dr. Kirsten promoted to executive director upon Dr. Mike’s retirement in 2019)
~910 Mountain Gorillas
Bwindi population estimate of 43012; Virunga Massif estimate from 2010 of 480 (2010 and 2011 are the first time genetic analysis is conducted on fecal samples collected during the surveys)
Study Shows Mountain Gorillas Benefit from Veterinary Care
Research finds that veterinary interventions13 could account for up to 40% of the difference in growth rates between habituated and unhabituated mountain gorillas. Demographic data gathered from 1967 – 2008 showed a positive increase of 4.1% for habituated gorillas and a decline of 0.7% for unhabituated gorillas
~1,063 Mountain Gorillas
Bwindi population estimate of a minimum of 45915; Virunga Massif population estimate from 2016 of 604; mountain gorillas are the only great ape in the wild whose numbers are increasing
First Human Medical Clinic in a Gorilla Park + COVID-19
- Gorilla Doctors partners with Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda to establish the first-ever park medical clinic to provide health care to park personnel and tourists
- COVID-19 is declared a pandemic in March. Gorilla Doctors continues critical health monitoring work, regularly testing any gorilla with clinical signs of respiratory illness (to date no wild eastern gorilla has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2)
Gorilla Doctors’ Opens World-Class Laboratory + More
- Gorilla Doctors Michael Cranfield Regional One Health Laboratory opens in Rwanda, enabling our technicians to diagnosis illnesses within 24 hours of sample collection
- The World Bank’s Pandemic Fund awards the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Gorilla Doctors $24.5 million over three years to strengthen emerging infectious disease surveillance and laboratory capacity across Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo
- Four previously orphaned adult female Grauer’s gorillas are successfully released into the Mt. Tshiaberimu sector of Virunga National Park (Led by GRACE with support from Gorilla Doctors, Virunga NP, Re:wild and ICCN)
Gorilla Doctors builds a new permanent facility at Virunga National Park headquarters in Rumangabo, DR Congo thanks to a generous gift from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Former Gorilla Doctors
- James Foster, 1986-1997
- Barkley Hastings, 1988
- Suzanne Anderson, 1988-1989
- John Bosco Nizeyi, 1989 – 2018
- Liz Macfie, 1989-1992
- Mel Richardson, 1992-1993
- John Cooper, 1993-1995
- Antoine Mudakikwa, 1995-2003
- Jonathan Sleeman, 1995-1998
- Ed Ramsey, 1997
- Ken Cameron, 1997-1999
- Mike Cranfield, 1998 – 2019
- Ute Eilenberger, 2000
- Innocent Rwego, 2001-2005
- Chris Whittier, 2001-2006
- Felicia Nutter, 2002-2006
- Jean-Felix Kinani, 2004 – 2015
- David Gardner, 2006-2007
- Lucy Spelman, 2006-2009
- Magdalena Braum, 2002, 2008-2011
- Dawn Zimmerman, 2011-2013 (current member, Advisory Council)
- Jan Ramer, 2009-2011, 2013-2015 (current member, Board of Directors)
- Jacques Iyanya, 2005 – 2019
- Martin Kabuyaya, 2012 – 2020
- Joost Philipa, 2015 – 2017
- Olivier Nsengimana, 2010 – 2015
- Luis Flores Giron, 2016 – 2021
Timeline References
- 1 Weber, A.W. & Vedder, A.L. (1983). Population dynamics of the Virunga gorillas, 1959–1978. Biological Conservation 26: 341–366.
- 2 Harcourt, A.H. & Fossey, D. (1981) The Virunga gorillas: decline of an ‘island’ population. African Journal of Ecology 19: 83–97.
- 3 Vedder, A. & Aveling, C. (1986) Census of the Virunga population of Gorilla gorilla beringei. Coordinator’s report. September 1986.
- 4 Sholley, C. (1991) Conserving gorillas in the midst of guerrillas. African Wildlife Foundation. In American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, Annual Conference Proceedings, pp. 30-37.
- 5 Butynski T.M., Werikhe, S.E. & Kalina, J. (1990). Status, distribution and conservation of the mountain gorilla in the Gorilla Game Reserve, Uganda. Primate Conservation 11: 31–41.
- 6 McNeilage, A., Plumptre, A. J., Brock-Doyle, A. & Vedder, A. (2001). Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: gorilla census 1997. Oryx 35: 39–47.
- 7 Kalpers, J., Williamson, E.A., Robbins, M.M., McNeilage, A., Nzamurambaho, A., Lola, N. & Mugiri, G. (2003). Gorillas in the crossfire: assessment of population dynamics of the Virunga mountain gorillas over the past three decades. Oryx 37: 326–337.
- 8 McNeilage, A., Robbins, M. M., Gray, M., Olupot, W., Babaasa, D., Bitariho, R., Kasangaki, A., Rainer, H., Asuma, S., Mugiri, G. & Baker J. (2006). Census of the mountain gorilla Gorilla beringei beringei population in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Oryx 40: 419–427.
- 9 Gray, M., McNeilage, A., Fawcett, K., Robbins, M.M., Ssebide, B., Mbula, D. & Uwingeli, P. (2010) Censusing the mountain gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes: complete sweep method versus monitoring. African Journal of Ecology 48: 588–599.
- 10 Guschanski, K., Vigilant, L., McNeilage, A., Gray, M., Kagoda, E. & Robbins, M.M. (2009). Counting elusive animals: comparing field and genetic census of the entire mountain gorilla population of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Biological Conservation 142: 290–300.
- 11 Gray, M., Roy, J., Vigilant, L., Fawcett, K., Basabose, A., Cranfield, M., Uwingeli, P., Mburanumwe, I., Kagoda, E. & Robbins, M. (2013) Genetic census reveals increased but uneven growth of a critically endangered mountain gorilla population. Biological Conservation 158: 230-238.
- 12 Roy, J., Vigilant, L., Gray, M., Wright, E., Kato, R., Kabano, P., Basabose, A., Tibenda, E., Kühl, H.S. & Robbins, MM. 2014. Challenges in the use of genetic mark-recapture to estimate the population size of Bwindi mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Biological Conservation 180: 249-261.
- 13 Robbins, M. M., Gray, M., Fawcett, K. A., Nutter, F. B., Uwingeli, P., Mburanumwe, I., … & Robbins, A. M. (2011). Extreme conservation leads to recovery of the Virunga mountain gorillas. PloS one, 6(6), e19788.
- 14 Hickey, J.R., Granjon, A.C., Vigilant, L., Eckardt, W., Gilardi, K.V., Cranfield, M., Musana, A., Masozera, A.B., Babaasa, D., Ruzigandekwe, F., & Robbins, M.M. 2019. Virunga 2015–2016 surveys: monitoring mountain gorillas, other select mammals, and illegal activities. GVTC, IGCP & partners, Kigali, Rwanda.
- 15 Hickey, Jena R., et al. Bwindi-Sarambwe 2018 surveys monitoring mountain gorillas, other select mammals, and human activities. Bwindi Impenetrable National park, 2019.
- 16 Gilardi, K., & Uwingeli, P. (2022). Keep mountain gorillas free from pandemic virus. Nature, 602(7896), 211.
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