Gorilla Health in the Wild

The Global Health Program collaborates with UC Davis’ Gorilla Doctors and Rwandan, Congolese, and Ugandan field veterinarians to further capacity building and research with a direct impact on the conservation and health of critically endangered eastern gorillas, including the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). While the mountain gorilla is the only great ape species whose numbers are increasing, only 1,063 mountain gorillas currently remain in the wild, and each individual gorilla has conservation value.

The second largest Ebola outbreak in history is ongoing less than 16 miles from endangered mountain gorilla habitat. The virus has not yet entered this subpopulation of gorillas, but Ebola is highly lethal for great apes and could potentially extirpate, or wipe out, the species. In partnership with Gorilla Doctors and the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative, GHP scientists are modeling the potential impact of Ebola to evaluate the effects of various mitigation efforts. This project uses computer models to predict the impact Ebola virus could have on mountain gorillas, as well as ways to control the spread of the disease.

Other projects include:

  • The utility of allostatic load, or the long-term effects of chronic stress on the body, to identify subclinical disease (disease without readily observable signs and symptoms) in gorillas and thereby enable prediction of morbidity and mortality. The correlation to various factors could lead to mitigation efforts in managed gorilla populations.
  • A review of anesthetic protocols (procedures for the use of anesthesia) used by Gorilla Doctors to conduct clinical interventions on mountain gorillas
  • A case study on malignant melanoma, the first report of this type of cancer in a great ape species
  • Pathology findings in the endangered golden monkey (Cerpithecus kandti), a sympatric species that shares a common habitat range with the mountain gorilla and therefore can inform on disease circulating in the region

Continue Exploring

A whiteboard from a scenario planning workshop with x-and-y graphs with axes representing "political will" and "population size" and colorful dots added to sections

Case Study: Scenario Planning in Northwestern Virginia

Virginia Working Landscape

Case Study: Land Use Modeling in Northwestern Virginia
A researcher stands among tall trees in a sunlit forest in Virginia.

Changing Landscapes Initiative
Smithsonian scientists work alongside community members in Northwestern Virginia to evaluate the impacts of land-use change on wildlife, ecosystem services and community health.
Corals

Coral Biobank Alliance
Smithsonian scientists are part of the Coral Biobank Alliance, a global network of coral experts preserving corals for restoration and research.
coral reef

Coral Cryopreservation Training Course
An underwater photo of a coral reef with a large coral in the foreground surrounded by smaller corals and fish swimming in the distance

Coral Species Cryopreserved with Global Collaborators​
View a list of the coral species that have been cryopreserved using a technique developed by Smithsonian scientists.
Herd of wildebeest grazing on an open grassy plain with one tree

Wildebeest Conservation
Conservation Ecology Center scientists are tracking the movements of white-bearded wildebeest to understand how changes across the landscape impact the species.
A small bird called a piping plover stands on a sandy shore

Protecting Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes
In 2022, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will begin a new research project to help protect endangered piping plovers from predation by merlins.
A swift fox wearing a tracking collar is released at Ft. Belknap

Swift Fox Recovery
Smithsonian scientists, in collaboration with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department, are embarking on a five-year swift fox reintroduction project to restore swift foxes to tribal lands and to help reestablish connectivity between disjointed swift fox populations.
A large leafy tree growing adjacent to a body of water, with cattle grazing in the grass underneath its canopy

Conserving the World’s Largest Working Wetland
Conservation Ecology Center researchers are collaborating with institutions in Brazil and other Smithsonian colleagues to support sustainable cattle ranching in the Pantanal wetland.