Ugandan veterinarian Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka uses community health to protect mountain gorillas
The conservationist founded a nonprofit and a social enterprise to link local livelihoods with wildlife protection.
Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's first female wildlife veterinarian, has developed a conservation model that integrates the health of local communities with the protection of mountain gorillas, according to a Times of India report.
After studying at the Royal Veterinary College in London, Kalema-Zikusoka returned to Uganda at age 25 to serve as a veterinary officer for the nation's national parks.
During research in Bwindi in 1994, she identified threats to the primate population, including poaching, habitat loss, and the risk of disease transmission from humans to gorillas.
In 1996, she noted that gorillas were at risk from human scabies, which led her to promote hygienic practices among local residents to prevent disease spread.
She founded the nonprofit Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) in 2003 to monitor gorilla health and improve human health through initiatives like installing handwashing stations and deworming livestock.
In 2015, she also helped start Gorilla Conservation Coffee, a social enterprise that pays local farmers a premium for their beans to provide financial incentives for forest protection.