Baraza

Category: Gorillas | Date: Oct 04 2008 | By: baraza

After spending a day with Lucy Spelman a vet with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP)  in New York and hearing her amazing stories about live as a gorilla vet I realised that I’d much rather be in the rainforest experiencing what the MGVP does first hand. Well, I may yet get to do it one day but for now I can only experience it virtually.  So can you!

The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) is an innovative gorilla health initiative first established in 1985 when Dian Fossey asked the Morris Animal Foundation for help in response to a crisis situation for these gorillas. MGVP established veterinary care and health resources in the Rwanda rainforests. To watch the video go to the Morris Animal Foundation website and watch this video about MGVP.

Dr. Lucy is currently on a promotional book tour of USA so if you don’t yet have her book “The Rhino with Glue on Shoes” then you must get it.

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Tags: Lucy Spelman, MGVP, mountain gorillas, Rwanda, Veterinarians, Virunga National Park

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Category: Gorillas | Date: Jun 26 2008 | By: admin

This month seems to be dedicated to Gorillas, the whole world is absorbed with them at the moment. Today the National Geographic screen Gorilla Murders in Washington DC. Everyone is talking about it. I”ll try to watch reactions to it on the news. I was sent these links to more of Ben Stirtons photos and stories which are just adding to the hype. Let us know what you hear!

I am still in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda where internet access is amazingly good. It’s one of those mornings - I know the chaos will hit me (it has been a frantic trip so far) so in these moments of calm I’ve been able to check out the latest online news. I had a wonderful surprise this morning when I read that in USA a man has walked from Seattle to Portland to support the Mountain Gorillas Veterinary Project which is run by Lucy Spelman.

Drew Nichols, a mortgage loan officer did a 10 day, 228-mile walk and raised more than $30,000 in donations and pledges. He is an amazing example of a volunteer who is making a massive contribution. Our own Robert Williams of Ending Charcoal blog is one of our own heros helping gorillas in Congo. In addition we have two other virtual volunteers working with us on specific blogs. It is hugely valuable and we all really appreciate their contribution which is making such a massive difference for us. We encourage any of you to volunteer just sign up here to help, and tell your friends! http://baraza.wildlifedirect.org/virtual-volunteering-for-wildlifedirect/

Some other gorilla news today made me even happier… in Uganda a 38-year-old veterinarian, Dr Gladys Kalema, has just won the prestigious San Diego Zoological Society conservation medal - The 2008 Conservation-In-Action Award. She is recognized for her outstanding conservation work in Uganda, at her organization the Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), a private non-profit organisation, that promotes conservation and public health by improving people and animal primary healthcare in and around protected areas in Africa.

We fly back to Nairobi this morning - it has been absolutely amazing as you will read and hear in coming posts.

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Tags: MGVP, mountain gorillas, National Geographic, Rwanda, virtual volunteers, wildlifedirect

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