Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes

by Pamela S. Turner • Part of the Scientists in the Field Series

Houghton Mifflin’s outstanding “Scientists in the Field” series... read more

Houghton Mifflin’s outstanding “Scientists in the Field” series provides readers with a window into the lives and work of contemporary scientists. This new title features the staff of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) working with mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda. African and North American scientists, including veterinarians, epidemiologists, and veterinary technicians, work together to protect gorillas threatened by poaching and disease. Pathogens passed between species are a current hot topic in the medical field and the news media, and the text relates how both measles and scabies—illnesses that originated with humans—have recently been discovered in gorillas. In addition to disease research in the field and in the lab, the MGVP works within local schools to educate children about the gorillas and the issues surrounding their welfare. Large color photographs on nearly every page provide visual interest, and a brief resource list of books and web sites suggests ways to find more information. Although this addition to the series doesn’t offer the intimate look at an individual scientist found in earlier volumes, it does give a credible sense of the team work and cooperation required to mount a large-scale conservation medicine project. (Ages 9–13)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2006

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