Save the...Gorillas by Anita Sanchez & Chelsea Clinton

Author:Anita Sanchez & Chelsea Clinton [Sanchez, Anita & Clinton, Chelsea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2023-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Health Matters

Sadly, one way in which gorillas and humans are very similar is that they can get many of the same diseases and have many of the same health problems. Just like people, gorillas in zoos sometimes eat too much sugar and don’t get enough exercise. This can lead to tooth decay, diabetes, and heart disease. In the rainforest, gorillas tend to be much healthier, as they constantly rove through the forest and eat wild plants. But their wild home is increasingly being visited by their human neighbors.

Only half a century ago, humans and gorillas rarely laid eyes on each other. Now many gorilla populations are surrounded by people. Poachers, loggers, and farmers can all spread human diseases to gorillas. Even people who love gorillas, like researchers, photographers, or tourists, can spread germs. Just as with people, one sneeze can infect others. Gorillas get runny noses, coughs, and fevers like humans do. But even a mild cold that wouldn’t kill a human can be deadly to gorillas. Tourists who visit gorilla troops to see and photograph them have to agree never to try to touch gorillas or approach them too closely. Visitors to gorilla territory are asked to wear masks and stay at least twenty feet away from the animals.

A terrible disease called Ebola Virus Disease can sicken and kill both gorillas and humans. In 1995, 90 percent of the gorillas in Minkébé National Park in Gabon died from Ebola.

If you’ve ever visited gorillas in a zoo, you probably watched them through a thick window of unbreakable glass. That’s to keep the gorillas warm and sheltered from cold drafts but also to protect them from human germs. Zookeepers work hard to keep the gorillas active and healthy. Zoo gorillas get their annual flu shots and are also vaccinated against measles. During the coronavirus pandemic, gorillas were at risk of getting COVID-19 just as humans were, and some even tested positive. In many zoos in the United States and around the world, gorillas were given the COVID-19 vaccine to protect them against the disease.

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