Ugandan Wildlife Veterinarian Captivates Lynn Hall Audience with Message about Conservation of Gorillas

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The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine welcomed an international visitor this week who traveled half-way around the world to share a presentation with veterinary students entitled Conservaton of Gorillas through the One Health Approach. Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, from Uganda, was a 2023 finalist for the Indianapolis Prize, which is awarded by the Indianapolis Zoo and is considered the world’s leading animal conservation award.

Tuesday morning, October 1, Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka spoke to veterinary students in the college’s Current Issues class. Her presentation provided a unique opportunity for the students to hear first-hand from the wildlife veterinarian who is recognized globally for her work protecting endangered mountain gorillas in East Africa. Dr. Kalema Zikusoka is the founder of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an organization promoting biodiversity conservation by enabling people and wildlife to coexist by improving health and livelihoods in and around Africa’s protected areas.

A graduate of the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London, Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka established the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary department in 1996. She later completed a Zoological Medicine Residency and Master in Specialized Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina Zoological Park and North Carolina State University.

Interim Dean Kathy Salisbury introduced Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka to the students, explaining that she has been helping the world understand the interplay between humans and animals, with a focus on primates. As a wildlife veterinarian and conservationist, her mission is to underscore the importance of dwindling wildlife populations for all of earth’s inhabitants, and to find creative ways to save them. After she received her formal veterinary training, she worked with zoo chimpanzees and conducted research on chimp communities in Uganda’s Budongo Forest Reserve. Later, she provided veterinary care for gorilla populations at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the site of the majority of her work today.

The Indianapolis Prize is granted biennially to focus worldwide attention on the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species. At last year’s Indianapolis Prize Celebration, Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka was recognized as a DeHaan Finalist for the award, and that’s when Dr. Salisbury, then Dean Willie Reed, Dr. Harm HogenEsch and other college representatives had the opportunity to meet her and establish the connection that led to this week’s presentation.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu