Dr. Cédric on Conserving Critically Endangered Gorillas at Mt. Tshiaberimu

Dr. Cédric on Conserving Critically Endangered Gorillas at Mt. Tshiaberimu

Dr. Cédric has been working with Gorilla Doctors at Mount Tshiaberimu since August 2024, dedicating his expertise to the health and conservation of critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas. In this interview, he shares insights into daily life in the field, the challenges these gorillas face, and the memorable moments that make this work so meaningful.

Virunga National Park: How long have you been working at Mt Tshiaberimu, and what motivated you to become a veterinarian for gorillas?

Dr Cédric: I joined Gorilla Doctors on August 31, 2024, meaning I’ve been based at Mount Tshiaberimu for a year and two months.

Since graduating in 2015, I’ve worked exclusively with great apes. In 2018, I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship funded by Gorilla Doctors to complete a capacity-building course at the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center, where I gained significant knowledge about the various approaches to caring for great apes and other small monkeys.

During the course at the CRPL/Lwiro, we traveled to Kahuzi-Biega National Park for preliminary sessions on the behavior and diet of eastern lowland gorillas. My love for, and especially the conservation of, the critically endangered eastern lowland gorillas motivated me to make my modest contribution to the conservation and sustainability of this species.

Virunga National Park: What does a typical day in the field look like for you?

Dr Cédric: I wake up every day at 06:00, have breakfast, and then get ready for the routine health check (RHC) in the forest. At the latest, by 07:30, we leave the Kalibina patrol post to enter the forest. Weather permitting, I usually stay with the gorillas for three hours before returning to the Kalibina patrol post, generally between 12:00 and 14:00.

When I arrive, I eat and then go straight to the lab, as I always have one or more samples to analyze or process according to the established protocols. After the lab, around 15:00 or 16:00, I focus on the routine health check report. That’s generally how my days at Mt. Tshiaberimu unfold.

(Picture by Gorilla Doctors)

Virunga National Park: Could you tell us about the eastern lowland gorilla population at Mt Tshiaberimu — what makes them unique?

Dr Cédric: The eastern lowland gorilla population of Mount Tshaberimu is geographically isolated from other eastern lowland gorilla groups located in Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

Furthermore, it is a small population living at the high altitudes of Mount Tshaberimu. Various human activities have made these gorillas critically endangered. Therefore, several teams on the ground are dedicated to their health, protection, conservation, and long-term survival.

(Espoir from the Kastabara family by Gorilla Doctors)

Virunga National Park: What are the main challenges these gorillas face today?

Dr Cédric: The most direct challenge facing gorillas is the decline in bamboo, a species they consume extensively. This decline is due to invasive species. More generally, and this is something that is not yet fully felt, gorillas face the challenges of increasing human population growth around the Park.

This growth leads to habitat degradation through agriculture and illegal logging (cutting bamboo in certain areas of the Park), creating closer proximity between human communities and gorilla habitat and increasing the daily risk of human-to-gorilla disease transmission.

I would like to reiterate that our organization, Gorilla Doctors, to date, has not had to intervene with veterinary medical support for a gorilla in Mount Tshiaberimu, as they are generally healthy. 

Virunga National Park: How do Gorilla Doctors and Virunga National Park coordinate their efforts to care for the gorillas?

Dr Cédric: Gorilla Doctors and Virunga National Park work in close partnership to ensure the health and survival of gorillas within the framework of the “One Health” approach, which includes regular health monitoring, emergency veterinary interventions when needed, regular sample collection, research, training when needed, and sharing of expertise.

Virunga National Park: Is there a particular moment from your work at Mt Tshiaberimu that has deeply marked you?

Dr Cédric: On November 30, 2024, around 11:00 AM, Silverback Mwasa had his first contact with the females transferred from the GRACE sanctuary. The females were still in the enclosure and were so happy that they wanted to leave and join Mwasa.

December 3, 2024, also holds a special place in my heart; it was the day the females finally joined Silverback Mwasa. I was fortunate enough to be present during this powerful moment, witnessing the joy the females displayed upon physically reuniting with him. And from that day on, we held onto the hope that the females would be able to overcome the various challenges they would face.

(Silverback Mwasa from the Kipura family by Gorilla Doctors)

Virunga National Park: In your opinion, what should the public better understand about the work being done at Mt Tshiaberimu?

Dr Cédric: The public must first understand that the eastern lowland gorilla population of Mount Tshiaberimu is unique and that various human activities have made these gorillas critically endangered. Therefore, they play a very important role in the success or failure of these gorillas’ conservation.

Virunga National Park: What message would you like to share with people around the world who support the protection of gorillas?

Dr Cédric: First, a big thank you for their support and a reminder that this protection is a permanent collaboration with the local population who live around the Park.