Concerns that humans may pass on diseases were one of the reasons that farmers and forest inhabitants were evicted from the parks. However, the chance of people passing on disease to primates is higher with non-locals who wouldn’t share the same immunities.
The main gorilla health organisation is the Gorilla Doctors, previously presented through an interview with Dr. Fred Nizeyimana. Uganda Wildlife Authority became involved in wild animal health in 1996. Its veterinary unit focuses on investigations, interventions and management of disease with surveillance and monitoring, but there is lack of technical infrastructure and experienced staff.
Population pressure and the effects of climate change are causing more human wildlife interactions. This increases the potential for disease transmission, particularly in new diseases like HIV, Ebola and Marburg and new strains of ever-evolving viruses such as malaria and TB.
Respiratory illnesses seem to be the leading cause of death among gorillas and they are prone to catching a cold—or worse—in wet weather. Arthritis is sometimes found. Gorillas at higher altitudes are less likely to catch insect-borne infectious diseases due to the fact that insects that can tolerate the more extreme conditions are benign.
The problem of transboundary disease has been known for at least 90 yeas. A gorilla pet in Kabale succumbed to the Spanish Influenza pandemic in 1919. They also died of dysentery, at the time a common cause of human death.
In 1988 there was a measles outbreak among the Bwindi gorillas. After some heart-searching the Gorilla Doctors decided to vaccinate them since the disease is fatal to those with no resistance. Another example of an intervention was against scabies, which is fatal to gorillas, and may have been picked up from refuse dumps outside human settlements.
Such direct involvement with gorillas’ wellbeing reinforces the feeling that gorilla national parks are gigantic zoos and another area where humans mess with nature. Still, an endangered species is under question and the fact that mountain gorilla numbers are growing shows that their health is in good hands.
Featured photo of Dr. Jan Ramer with a Grauer’s gorilla orphan that was confiscated from poachers in DR Congo by Molly Feltner.
🖋️ text by:
Ian Cantwell, historian and international interdisciplinary researcher, was part of the team that started the Gorilla Highlands initiative in 2011. Our region is one of his focal areas, and the pre-colonial history of the Batwa “Pygmies” a major passion. He is the author of Kigezi Mountain Mosaic, an ebook about the history and culture of southwestern Uganda. When not on research trips in Africa or Europe, Ian can be found somewhere in Ireland.[bio updated: 2026-05]
📸 photography by:
Molly Feltner is an award-winning science writer and photographer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, USA Today and elsewhere. She also helps conservation organisations communicate better, so she spent three years living in Rwanda, documenting the work of Gorilla Doctors in our region. These days Molly writes about ocean and freshwater habitat restoration for NOAA Fisheries from her base in Washington, DC. [bio updated: 2026-05]