Sad News ~ Death of young Mountain Gorilla Akarusho

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Field Report:  We are sad to report that 3-year-old male mountain gorilla Akarusho has passed away, due to a variety of wounds suffered since he left his mother’s group on July 10. A medical intervention with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project was conducted on Sept. 10.

On Sept. 9, our trackers at the Karisoke Research Center had reported that Akarusho’s condition had deteriorated.  This was a sudden turn of events because until then, his health had appeared to be improving and he was feeding normally, despite his wounds.  Veterinarians Dr. Jean-Felix Kinani of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and Dr. Elizabeth Nyirakaragire of the Rwandan Development Board returned with Karisoke researcher Winnie Eckardt, Ph.D. and our trackers today to again assess the infant’s condition and intervene if necessary.

Please see their blog for more details. http://gorillafund.org/blog

Report Source: http://www.facebook.com/savinggorillas