Rehabilitating Confiscated Eastern Gorillas

Since November 2003, a total of 8 infant gorillas have been confiscated in the region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Rwanda, 2 of them mountain gorillas and 6 Grauer's gorillas, demonstrating a growing concern over live gorilla trafficking in the area. Up until recently these gorillas had been cared for separately on an "ad hoc" basis as there was no facility in the region that was geared up for these orphans.
So in 2006 a joint project was launched involving the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGF-I), the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN) and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) to provide at least a temporary solution to this problem. Utilizing grants from Busch Gardens and the US Fish & Wildlife Service, a facility was constructed near the Kinigi headquarters of the Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda. The idea behind this was the rehabilitation and eventual reintroduction of Maisha, a female mountain gorilla confiscated at around 3 years old in December 2004. As all previous attempts to introduce infant gorillas to unrelated wild groups had failed, it was decided to try a different approach this time, based on our knowledge of wild gorilla behaviour gained though 40 years of research at Karisoke. This knowledge told us that it was far from normal for an infant to transfer into an unrelated group but that a female approaching breeding age (7-8 years) is far more likely to be accepted.
This left us with several issues to be dealt with. Firstly, the logistical problems of caring for a gorilla for a long period of time, and secondly, the behavioural issues of preventing Maisha from becoming overly humanized. This is where the idea of the Confiscated Gorilla Interim Quarantine Facility was first conceptualized. In constructing a single facility we were able to both cater to the social needs of the gorillas by mixing them as single group and minimize the logistical aspect of their care (the gorillas were previously held in 4 different locations).
The first 3 gorillas were introduced in the facility in September 2006: Maisha (female mountain gorilla, around 4-5 years at the time), Ntabwoba (male Grauer's gorilla, also between 4 and 5 years) and Dunia (female Grauer's, between 1 and 2 years), all animals that had been confiscated in Rwanda. Their introduction was a long and difficult process as the 2 older animals had not seen another gorilla for a long time, were unable to understand each other, and often failed to read the others' cues. After 2 weeks of intensively supervised sessions, however, they had their first play bout. Since this time their relationship has strengthened and they have become inseparable, especially with the addition of Dunia, who became the focus of much attention as the smallest of the group.
In November 2006 we were given CITES permission to bring 4 Grauer's gorillas, which were cared for at the DFGF-I office in Goma, Congo, into Rwanda so that we could socialize all of the gorillas together. After a period of quarantine, a soft introduction process was begun with all of the animals allowed limited contact through a chainlink fence. The initial meeting was made up of the usual strutting and pursed lips but curiosity soon got the better of all involved and they were soon touching and sniffing each other through the fence. From the first day, all animals remained in proximity, separated by the fence, for the majority of the time and, after a month, it was decided that they were ready to meet for real.
This introduction went remarkably smoothly, with only minimal bickering during feeding times. It has been an interesting experience watching the animals grow together as a group, seeing both relationships and behaviour change as they habituate to each other and develop as the social animals that they are intended to be.
Maisha, particularly, has demonstrated a savvy political astuteness in her dealings with the gorillas that came from Goma and who were already bonded. Her previously domineering personality has softened and she knows when to back down to the coalition, even though she is larger than them as individuals. This bodes well for the future introduction, as a wild silverback will not tolerate overconfidence from a young female, and would likely meet it with aggressive discipline. We will carry on watching and collecting observational data as the group continues to develop socially.
In March 2007 there was a new addition to the group. Kaboko, as he has since been named, was confiscated from Congolese poachers in Gisenyi, Rwanda, and was suffering from a severe injury to his right wrist, probably caused by a snare. Although not confirmed by genetics as yet, Kaboko appears to be a mountain gorilla of around 3 years of age. The presence of the snare injury suggests that this is an opportunistic incident rather than a resurgence in mountain gorilla poaching. Kaboko has been in quarantine since his confiscation (each gorilla is subject to this process, whereby samples are taken for analysis and TB testing is carried out before they are placed anywhere near the others) and is currently enjoying the same soft introduction process as previously mentioned; it is hoped that he can be fully integrated into the group within the next month.
Obviously the next step will be the reintroduction of Maisha to the wild population, the logistics and methodology of which will be decided upon by the Scientific Technical Steering Committee that was set up upon her confiscation and involves all conservation partners in the region. At the same time, we must begin to look for a permanent solution for the future of the rest of the orphan group, which will be located within their range state of Congo. This will require a great deal of planning and effort on the part of all involved; as with any new project, there will be many pitfalls to navigate, especially in a region with so many security and development issues.

Combating the Trade
This leaves us with the difficult task of combating and reducing the trafficking in wild gorillas in the region. As previously stated, local authorities have managed to confiscate 8 gorillas with-in the last 4 years, all of which are believed to have originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is likely to just be the tip of the iceberg as there have been many rumours of more gorillas being captured and held, the majority of which probably die under the poor conditions provided by the poachers before the authorities are able to get to them. It is likely that for each Grauer's gorilla confiscated, there is at least one that is missed. When you add this to the number of gorillas that are killed in each poaching incident, this shows that a devastating toll is being taken on this, probably the least well protected of the gorilla subspecies.
In order to begin tackling this issue, DFGF-I has recently acquired funding for a new project specifically targeted at this problem. Based in Goma, the project will combine educational and sensitization programmes with reinforcing links with local authorities and gaining support in local communities, and in addition we will develop an intelligence network aimed at disrupting and deterring both the traffickers and the poachers involved. This is a new project that will utilize the local knowledge and excellent community relations already established by DFGF-I's Landscape Graueri Program. The hope is that we can discourage the trade through both working at the grassroots level with the communities involved and aiding law enforcement in the region.

Simon Childs

Simon Childs worked as deputy head keeper in the gorilla section at Howletts Wild Animal Park in the UK before completing his degree in Biodiversity Conservation and Management in 2004. Since then he has worked as a research assistant at Karisoke before taking on the management of confiscated gorillas for the joint DFGFI/MGVP project in 2006.

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