Among Chimpanzees by Nancy J. Merrick

Author:Nancy J. Merrick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publisher Services

We finally met Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka herself a week later in Entebbe, Uganda.9 She had left her two young children with her husband to come talk about gorillas and public health with us, and it was immediately evident what a remarkable presence she is. She shared her story with us over dinner, telling us of having trained at the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College before returning to organize the first veterinary unit for the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). An early experience in her new job proved pivotal. An outbreak of scabies was menacing Bwindi’s mountain gorillas, and she was sent to investigate what could be done. Her analysis showed that the outbreak was the result of gorillas coming into contact with the discarded clothes of an infected person, and it forever impressed her with the potentially devastating impact of disease transmission among humans, gorillas, and livestock.

The incident ultimately prompted her, along with her husband, Lawrence Zikusoka, and coworker Stephen Rubanga to create CTPH. By founding a nongovernmental organization, they would be able to augment the work of the UWA and to develop their own resources. The organization proved so effective and groundbreaking that she soon was receiving accolades, including the prestigious Whitley Gold Award, presented for achievement in nature conservation, in 2009. Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka was now being sought after to replicate the program elsewhere, being elected or appointed to prestigious boards and national commissions, and being called on for international lectures and awards. That such a woman would take time from her family and work to have dinner with us not only seemed extraordinary but also spoke to her humility and purpose.

It was inspiring to sit with her and to be caught up in her energy. This gifted woman had fully realized the importance of augmenting the work of the UWA and ensuring the long-term health of the gorillas. Her organization had also dared to tackle head-on the issue of family planning in this largely Catholic country, where contraception is little discussed in public. Given her accomplishments, we were little surprised to learn of her distinguished parents: Her father had been a highly respected government official, one of the first to be murdered by Idi Amin’s soldiers in the 1970s. Her mother, the remarkable Rhoda Kalema, is widely known as “the Mother of the Ugandan Parliament” for her years as one of its members and for her courage in coaxing women to become involved in politics in order to bring change. Rhoda Kalema ingrained in her daughter that those who pursue their dreams wholeheartedly will conquer adversity.

And so it is that Dr. Gladys, as she allows us to call her, has created a program that is protecting one of the two last precarious populations of mountain gorillas in the world while simultaneously benefiting some of the world’s poorest people. Her program—like the Kasiisi Project—is bringing hope to the people whose daily lives are so interconnected with the great apes and other forest dwellers. It is critical work, and Dr. Elizabeth Ross and Dr.

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