As Mr. Setchell said: ‘I think the masks are essential,’. At my visite to the Mapuwa family I had a mask with me. The others have been laughing about me. To put the mask on wouldn’t cost nothing and at the other hand will protect the gorillas. It should be a must to wear it.

Dear Samantha,
Thank you for bringing attention to this matter. I too worry about such a small population of mountain gorillas remaining and being exposed to tourists, local communities, warring factions and the charcoal mafia who could expose the animals to serious health issues. I was very fortunate to work with veterinarian, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka and Phenny Gongo, former tracker, to produce a tourist guide book outlining health issues for Bwindi Park, Uganda gorillas which we are now updating. Gladys and her husband established programs to address the health of the local communities surrounding the park which has been a tremendous success, achieving international recognition. See http://www.ctph.org - Conservation Through Public Health. No doubt the Gorilla Doctors are working to establish similar programs in DRC to protect the gorillas and will work direclty with other vets in Rwanda and Uganda to address these health issues since the Virunga eco-system remains under threat in all 3 countries.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Judy in CA

Samantha, are these masks mandatory for tourists in Rwanda? Given that it is often $500 to see them, the price of a mask seems to be insignificant. Is there any reason to think that you need help getting these in large quantities? Thanks,
Cathy

“them” meaning the gorillas

I’d wear a freaking hazmat suit if necessary. I think moving tourists further back and requiring masks is a very small inconvenience for seeing mountain gorillas in the wild.

s.

Certainly an example of “loving” a species to death. What the heck is wrong with these people!!!