I received my veterinary degree at the Catholic University of Graben, Butembo, in the DRC. Before joining Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) in 2004, I was a scholar at the Technical Institute for Agriculture and Veterinary Science also in Butembo. I work closely with Dr. Jacques Iyanya, and my duties include monitoring Grauers gorillas as well as mountain gorillas—and caring for the orphans, Ndeze, Ndakasi and Mapendo.

I enjoy every aspect of clinical medicine, including pathology (the study of diseases and the functional effect they have had on their hosts). I performed field necropsies on the gorillas shot here last July, hoping to learn something valuable that could help us save them in the future. While I worry about the orphans that we care for, their intelligence and sense of fun never ceases to amaze me!