Primates and presidents have shaped the unique and dangerous life of Uganda’s first wildlife vet, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, who was in South Africa this week to promote her memoir, Walking With Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet.
In an interview with the Independent on Saturday, she said it was vital to build African leadership and to cultivate a love for conservation in people who live where the wildlife is found.
Kalema-Zikusoka has worked tirelessly to protect the mountain gorillas from extinction and their numbers have almost doubled to a little more than 1 000 over the past 25 years.
“The first gorilla I met, I studied his eyes and I felt a really deep connection. They are so accommodating, when you are with them it’s very
