EPISODE · Jul 13, 2025 · 26 MIN
#63 Nelson and the gorillas (Uganda)
Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she ventures into Uganda's misty mountains to meet Dr. Nelson Bukamba, one of the world's few gorilla doctors providing life-saving veterinary care to our planet's most endangered relatives. Nelson's journey from a heartbroken 10-year-old making a promise to his dying dog Simba to treating wild mountain gorillas is nothing short of extraordinary.From 3 AM wake-up calls to tracking gorilla families across 321 square kilometers of impenetrable forest, Nelson reveals what it's really like to provide medical care to patients who don't exactly line up for treatment. Discover how these gentle giants weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and how Nelson's cutting-edge research on "cryptic" parasites is unraveling the invisible threads connecting gorilla health to human communities. With fewer than 1,063 mountain gorillas remaining in the wild, Nelson represents a new generation of conservation veterinarians using both field medicine and laboratory science to protect our closest living relatives – one gorilla at a time.Linkshttps://www.gorilladoctors.orghttps://www.facebook.com/gorilladoctorshttps://bsky.app/profile/gorilladoctors.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/gorilla-doctors/We'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
What this episode covers
Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she ventures into Uganda's misty mountains to meet Dr. Nelson Bukamba, one of the world's few gorilla doctors providing life-saving veterinary care to our planet's most endangered relatives. Nelson's journey from a heartbroken 10-year-old making a promise to his dying dog Simba to treating wild mountain gorillas is nothing short of extraordinary. From 3 AM wake-up calls to tracking gorilla families across 321 square kilometers of impenetrable forest, Nelson reveals...
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#63 Nelson and the gorillas (Uganda)
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