Walking with gorillas The journey of an African wildlife vet

Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

Book - 2023

In her enchanting memoir, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian, tells the remarkable story from her animal-loving childhood to her career protecting endangered mountain gorillas and other wild animals. She is also the defender of people as a groundbreaking promoter of human public health and an advocate for revolutionary integrated approaches to saving our planet. In an increasingly interconnected world, animal and human health alike depend on sustainable solutions and Dr. Gladys has developed an innovative approach to conservation among the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and their human neighbors.

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Subjects
Genres
Autobiographies
Published
New York : Arcade Publishing [2023]
Language
English
Main Author
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka (author)
Other Authors
Jane Goodall, 1934- (writer of foreword)
Physical Description
xix, 316 pages, 24 unnumbered leaves of plates : color illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-308) and index.
ISBN
9781950994267
  • Abbreviations and Acronyms
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Part I. Becoming a Conservationist
  • Chapter 1. Early Years
  • Chapter 2. The Birth of a Conservationist
  • Chapter 3. The World of Veterinary Medicine
  • Chapter 4. First Contact
  • Part II. Becoming a Wildlife Veterinarian
  • Chapter 5. A Dream Is Born-Creating a Job for Myself
  • Chapter 6. The Wandering Gorilla
  • Chapter 7. Saving Elephants That Lost Their Way
  • Chapter 8. Restocking Giraffes to Prevent Extinction
  • Chapter 9. A Fatal Skin Disease in the Mountain Gorillas
  • Chapter 10. Controversial Surgery on a Mountain Gorilla
  • Chapter 11. The Bwindi Massacre
  • Chapter 12. The Beginnings of One Health
  • Part III. One Health
  • Chapter 13. One Health Research and Marriage
  • Chapter 14. Conservation Through Public Health
  • Chapter 15. Improving Community Health Where Gorillas Range
  • Chapter 16. Early Warning Systems
  • Chapter 17. Launching Telecentres and Hosting Royalty
  • Chapter 18. Embracing Family Planning
  • Chapter 19. Farewell to Mubare's Legendary Silverback
  • Chapter 20. Taking Our Message to the Children
  • Chapter 21. Celebrating Ten Years of Success
  • Chapter 22. Expanding Our Brief beyond Bwindi
  • Chapter 23. From Practitioner to Policy Maker
  • Part IV. Sustaining Conservation
  • Chapter 24. Is Tourism a Necessary Evil?
  • Chapter 25. Saving Gorillas One Sip at a Time
  • Chapter 26. The COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Chapter 27. The COVID-19 Nightmare Continues into 2021
  • Chapter 28. One World, One Health: Preventing Anthrax and Ebola and Planning a Sustainable Future
  • Chapter 29. Women in Conservation
  • Epilogue: Shaping the Future
  • Acknowledgments
  • Endnotes
  • Index
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

This uplifting debut by conservationist Kalema-Zikusoka reflects on her upbringing in Uganda and career as a wildlife veterinarian. Born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1970, the author was two years old when her father, a former cabinet minister, was abducted and murdered by the forces of then-president Idi Amin. She recounts devoting herself to her education and enrolling at the University of London Royal Veterinary College, becoming at age 26 Uganda's first veterinarian specializing in wild animals. Vivid anecdotes detail the sometimes gritty nature of her work with endangered mountain gorillas, as when she describes using sugar to help reduce swelling around a gorilla's prolapse. Through her work, she became "convinced that you couldn't keep the gorillas healthy without improving the health and well-being of the people with whom they shared their fragile habitats" and began studying disease transmission between humans and primates. That research, she relates, enabled her to successfully advocate for Uganda's adoption of the "One Health" approach to conservation, which recognizes that human hygiene and health lead to better welfare for plants and animals. The heartwarming narrative testifies to the good that one person can achieve and illuminates the complex interdependence between humans and their environments. Admirers of Jane Goodall will love this. (Feb.)

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