After weeks of rumors about captured baby gorillas for sale in eastern Congo, the Gorilla Doctors (MGVP) successfully followed bits of fragmented news to its source and found and confiscated a year-old gorilla. The tiny female eastern lowland gorilla, now named Ndjingala, was being held in Walikale, a "red zone" 120km north of Goma where rebel fighters and government soldiers regularly clash over control of the area's rich mineral deposits. The Gorilla Doctors and caretakers with Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) are nursing the traumatized orphan gorilla back to health at a facility in Goma.
When reports of a captive gorilla in Walikale surfaced on March 5, Gorilla Doctor Eddy Kambale flew to the region after obtaining permission from the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) and support from Union of Associations for Gorilla Conservation and Community Development (UGADEC) to confiscate the baby. With the help of local chiefs and UGADEC officials, Ndjingala was taken from a poacher, who most likely killed multiple gorillas, including Ndjingala's mother, in order to snatch the baby from her family group in the forest.
Dr. Eddy spent a tense night in a Walikale hotel with Ndjingala before he was able to fly with her back to Goma. Gorilla Doctor Jan Ramer and Sandy Jones, the MGVP/DFGFI Manager of Confiscated Gorilla Care, met Dr. Eddy and the baby in Goma to assess her health and begin the long process of habituating her to life in captivity. Without her mother and family, Ndjingala will have to rely on humans caretakers for the foreseeable future. Three other juvenile eastern lowland gorillas reside at the same facility, but Ndjingala will not be able to interact with them until she has completed a month of quarantine.
When Dr. Eddy removed the baby from her travel crate, she curled into a tight ball and clung tightly to a shirt she had been given as a security blanket. Dr. Jan explained what happened next in her Gorilla Doctors blog:
Maternal instincts kicked in, and I scooped her up into my arms. She didn't understand at all, and immediately began biting and struggling, but I sat quietly making gorilla calming noises. I groomed her arms and head, and within minutes she quieted. Still quite tense and clutching her shirt, but beginning to calm down... Slowly the little gorilla relaxed, although any slight move or sound and she tensed, clutching the shirt and holding her hands and feet tight to her body. We rocked and rocked, groomed and talked. She finally unwound enough and reached for a bit of pineapple - that small victory felt wonderful.
An exam showed the gorilla to be suffering from dehydration and superficial wounds where ropes had been tied, but otherwise she was in respectable condition. Later she was introduced to two Congolese caretakers, who will act Ndjingala's guardians 24/7. Sandy Jones will also stay with the baby until she is comfortable in her new surroundings.
Since her confiscation several weeks ago, Ndjingala has suffered from bouts of nausea and respiratory disease, but the Gorilla Doctors report that she is getting stronger. From their experience working with confiscated gorillas in the past, the Gorilla Doctors know that they and the DFGFI caretakers will face many challenges in ensuring Ndjingala has a happy, healthy life in captivity. It is uncertain when or if Ndjingala and the other orphan gorillas can be released in the wild. Nevertheless, all stakeholders in Ndjingala's future are dedicated to ensuring her safety and well-being.
blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/great-apes/2010/04/gorilla-doctors-rescue-capt...[Modificato da cristina:) 22/06/2010 01:18]
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