Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka says she “felt a deep connection” after her first encounter with mountain gorillas. It was in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and she was “conducting research as a veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London.”

At once, she was intrigued by the “gentle giants” if anything because they are “highly intelligent and social animals with complex family structures.”

Dr Kalema-Zikusoka, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), says the great apes “exhibit emotions and behaviours similar to humans, which makes them incredibly fascinating to study and work with.”

Such is the uniqueness of gorillas that their survival, says Dr Kalema-Zikusoka, “affects the health of the entire forest environment.” Conserving them is, therefore, a no-brainer, at least in the book of Kalema-Zikusoka. The forest ecosystems whose health the great apes maintain “are vital for the broader environmental services that benefit both local and global populations.”

More than just apes

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