It’s hard to predict an average day in the life of a Gorilla Doctors veterinarian. One day could be full of office work; the next could be spent trekking through national parks in pouring rain to track down an injured or ill wild gorilla. As unpredictable as the work can be, our teams are always prepared to mobilize immediately if an animal needs our help—even when the animal is not a gorilla!

Last Tuesday, our team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was called upon to help treat a wounded elephant in Virunga National Park. Dr. Eddy successfully darted the elephant with a chemical immobilizer so that he could treat multiple infected gunshot wounds. He drained the abscesses that had formed around the bullet entry sites, removed bullet fragments, disinfected the wound sites, and administered antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. The elephant recovered uneventfully form anesthesia, and apparently re-joined another elephant with whom he had been ranging through the forest. Park rangers will monitor the elephant’s recovery as best they can.

Another day in the life of a Gorilla Doctor—working to save a species, one elephant at a time.

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