March and the cool weather starts and with it the rain. Fortunately the rain seems to start after midday and that means that our guests have been able to enjoy the bright sunny mornings before coming back to warm drinks and welcome lunch at the Lodge before the afternoons rain. Afternoons by the fire with a good book or a movie are not that bad either!!
With the advent of rain the Gorillas have been closer to the park boundaries so the treks through slippery paths have been mercifully short and enjoyed by all.
Photo courtesy of Nigel Pavitt
A quick update is lifted below from our neighbours the âGorilla Doctorsâ monthly bulletin to keep you all up to date with our gorilla newsâ¦
On February 2nd, Gorilla Doctors veterinarians Drs. Gaspard and Methode, accompanied by RDB veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth, hiked into Volcanoes National Park to follow-up on reports from park trackers that several members of Sabyinyo group were showing signs of respiratory illness. Silverback Gihishamwotsi in particular was quite sick, and his condition had worsened over the previous days. Our Gorilla Doctors were prepared to conduct a clinical intervention if deemed necessary.
After a consultation with Volcanoes National Park authorities, Dr. Gaspard darted Gihishamwottsi with an antibiotic and a pain-reliever.
Gorilla trackers and our veterinarians continued to monitor Gihishamwotsi and members of his Sabyinyo family as they suffered through this respiratory disease outbreak. Fortunately, Gihishamwotsi responded well to his treatment by Gorilla Doctors, and the whole family is now healthy.
In fact Iâm now told that they are all so much better that they have temporarily moved over the hill into Congo but we are sure they will be back in their usual area soon.
Tha Agasha and Amahoro group have been having territory and women problems and several of our guests were almost caught up in an inter family dispute which resulted in a lot of noise and fuss, quite a lot of chest beating and several broken trees while they sorted out their disputes. This was all over in a few minutes but gave everyone a marvelous insight into the very human squabbles that can break out even between neighbors!
Our âSay No to plasticâ plan has been working well and the number of plastic bottles dramatically reduced with our new reusable bottles we give every arriving guest. Straws in cocktails will now also be replaced with fresh cut bamboo equivalents as we work with everyone in the area to keep our bit of the mountains as pristine as they should be.
We are pleased to see that the fundraising effort that we are supporting for the Remembering Wildlife project producing the new coffee table books âRemembering the Great Apesâ is doing astonishingly well and the launch at the Royal Geographical Society event in October bodes well for donations to various causes close to our hearts. For those of you who havenât come across these books please have a look at https://rememberingwildlife.com/remembering-great-apes/ it is a wonderful effort we are proud to be associated with.
Work continues at the lodge but now that we have just about finished most of the front of house changes we can concentrate on the, just as important but, unseen improvements in staff areas and stores and workshop area that will make the smooth running of the lodge that much easier.
