Quest: Mountain Gorillas: Discovery Channel

Another Wire Snare (Part 2)

Benard and I left early for our new snare case. We were on the road to the ranger station at 6 a.m., hoping to catch up with the gorillas by 9 or so. Any time we intervene with anesthetic, it’s best to get an early start. We need time to get the dart in, perform the procedure and wake the patient up; and in this case, tourists would be arriving by late morning.

Another Wire Snare (Part 1)

When I first read Benard's email, I didn’t want to believe it. A blackback in Nkuringo Group had a wire snare around his leg. The gorilla had continued to eat, but he'd begun to fall behind the group. One of us needed to cross the border to Uganda before closing time, stay in Kisoro for the evening, and leave for the forest early the next morning to deal with the snare. The drive would take two hours, followed by another hour's trekking.

Snares and Scares

I'd nearly finished my routine health check in Pablo Group when my cell phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. It was Jean Felix. We usually text each other in order not to disturb the gorillas, so I knew right away there must be a problem.