August 17, 2015

Staff concerned about silverback Gushimira

Fossey Fund trackers and research staff are reporting concerns today regarding dominant silverback Gushimira, the only silverback of his group. This weekend, he was observed not eating well and to have soft stool. We planned to observe him closely today, but were expecting a recovery.

This morning, when our trackers arrived at Gushimira's group, he was not there, nor was there any night nest of his in the area. Our trackers, supported by extra staff from our anti-poaching team, conducted a thorough search but were unable to find him or signs of his presence.

The females of his group were calm, and were not traveling much during the day.

Tomorrow, the search for Gushimira will be intensified and we are in communication with veterinarians from the Rwanda Development Board and Gorilla Doctors in case he is found and there is a medical situation to consider.

Luckily, silverback Kirahure, who had been injured two weeks ago and lost a lot of blood (see previous post) is still recovering well.