It is “raining good news” at CTPH! Our Founder and CEO, Dr. Gladys Kalema- Zikusoka is one of the six finalists for the 2023 Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for Animal Conservation, for her work in protecting the endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda.

In a press release published on 1st March 2023, Dr. Rob Shumaker, President and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society said, “the victories achieved by this diverse group of people are remarkable and deserve our attention.” “They have dedicated decades of their lives to making an authentic difference for many animal species and demonstrate that one person has the power to make a difference,” he concluded.

“The Indianapolis Prize makes tremendous contributions to advancing conservation efforts around the world by providing a bigger platform for conservationists to reach members of the public and policymakers”. “This year’s Finalists are impressive not only in their dedication to saving species, but also in their huge determination to achieving an impact despite the pandemic and global conflicts. Their commitment is both admirable and inspiring.” said 2021 Indianapolis Prize Winner and 2023 Indianapolis Prize Jury Member Dr. Amanda Vincent.

Dr. Gladys has been named alongside Christophe Boesch, Founder and President of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation; Pablo Borboroglu, Founder and President of the Global Penguin Society; Gerardo Ceballos, Ecologist and Conservationist at the Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico; Dr. Karen Eckert, from the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network and Biruté Mary Galdikas, Founder of Orangutan Foundation International. We are thrilled to be included amongst these inspiring conservationists.

Celebrating 2023 World Wildlife Day

oday we are celebrating World Wildlife Day too! This year’s theme is: Partnership For Wildlife Conservation, highlighting the fact that wildlife conservation is a collective effort, therefore we need to work together and enhance partnerships.

Dr. Gladys was a discussant at a Conservation Practicum organized by the Parliamentary Forum for Conservation and Sustainable Tourism (PFCST) at the Parliament of Uganda on 1st March 2023. Mr. James Byamukama, Executive Director of The Jane Goodall Institute Uganda gave a presentation on “Aligning coexistence of conservation between people and development: An assessment of the Parish Development model.” CTPH, was a discussant along with National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), EcoTrust, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) and the Uganda Biodiversity Fund.

They lobbied Members of Parliament to spearhead implementation and enforcement of wildlife conservation policies that promote the coexistence of humans and wildlife. The Ugandan legislators called for more comprehensive meetings to devise methods and policies to enhance wildlife conservation.

LEFT: Mr. James Byamukama, Executive Director of The Jane Goodall Institute Uganda giving a presentation to the legislators.
RIGHT: Dr. Gladys discussing on the topic “Aligning coexistence of conservation between people and development: An assessment of the Parish Development model.”

Dr. Gladys receiving a certificate of appreciation to CTPH from the Members of Parliament.

Public Lecture

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka giving her keynote speech at the public lecture at the Uganda Museum.

On 1st March, Dr. Gladys gave a Keynote Speech at a Public Lecture on the State of Wildlife in Uganda: The Role of Partnership in Wildlife Conservation, convened by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities in partnership with Nature Uganda at the Uganda Museum.

She gave her keynote speech alongside Mr. Sam Mwandha, Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Justus Tusubira, Liaison Officer at Space for Giants, Uganda. In her speech Dr. Gladys said she is delighted to be a keynote speaker at this public lecture and noted that partnerships are vital to wildlife conservation. “Through partnerships with government, NGOs, and the private sector, the mountain gorillas are no longer critically endangered,” she said and demonstrated this with the Gorilla trekking film produced by One Health Productions featuring UWA, Conservation Through Public Heath and other local stakeholders at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Mr. Mwandha noted that it is important to work together. “Partnerships mean working together and appreciating each other and are essential to achieve biodiversity conservation in Uganda.” Justus talked about the benefits of fencing to reduce human and elephant conflict.

World Wildlife Day is being celebrated in Tororo District, in the Eastern part of the country with the President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, as the guest of honour. Please follow #WWD2023 for the proceedings in Tororo District and all over the world.

New Gorilla Birth (Mukiza Group)

It is always exceedingly exciting to share with you the news of a new addition to the world’s mountain gorilla population. We have registered the first gorilla birth at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) this year. This increases the Mukiza gorilla group from 18 to 19 individuals. Adult female Tomvi gave birth to a healthy baby on Valentine’s day, 14/02/2023 which resounded quite well with the season. The mother and father have since been very protective of their little bundle of joy who is yet to be given a name. We shall share the baby’s name as soon as our partners Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) names the baby.

Make a difference this #WorldWildlifeDay with a donation to Mukiza and other gorilla families in BINP.

Dr. Gladys’ Memoir

“Walking With Gorillas”

On another exciting note, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka’s  book, Walking With Gorillas, will be released this month in USA on March 14th and is available to pre-order on Amazon USA, Amazon UK and Simon & Schuster USA , Simon & Schuster UK.

We are grateful for the partnerships, donations, guidance, advice and all the support offered to CTPH. Thank you very much! You are really helping us to make a difference.

Have a fruitful month of March and Happy World Wildlife Day.