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Pioneering Gorilla Doctor Mike Cranfield
The Gorilla Organization joins the whole of the conservation community in mourning the loss of Dr Mike Cranfield, the visionary founder of Gorilla Doctors.
For more than 20 years, Dr Cranfield transformed the conservation landscape. As Director of the Gorilla Doctors, he brought veterinary care to gorillas in the wild in Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo. His pioneering approach to treating gorillas in their natural habitat is credited with helping bring mountain gorillas back from the brink of extinction. Most recently, he ensured gorillas stayed safe from harm during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Gorilla Organization Director Jillian Miller, Dr Cranfield was a friend as well as a colleague. “We started out together in our conservation careers, and I was immensely proud to see the vital, groundbreaking work he was doing on the ground in Africa, first with Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and then with Gorilla Doctors. Mike will be missed terribly.”
The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project was born out of the same legacy as the Gorilla Organization, both at the specific request of Dian Fossey. Dr Cranfield’s legacy lives on not only in the survival of gorilla in the wild but through the many vets, students and conservationists he trained and supported over the years. Among them is Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Gorilla Organization Trustee, and award-winning wildlife vet, for whom Mike was an inspiration as well as a mentor. The Gorilla Organization continues to partner with Gorilla Doctors to fund life-saving patrols in Africa.
Article Image (c) Gorilla Doctors
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