I hope you are coping with the coronavirus pandemic and are taking the recommended precautions to safeguard yourself and loved ones.

At the beginning of December 2019, a new coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization (WHO) named the disease, COVID-19, which references the type of virus and the year it emerged. In March 2020, the WHO declared the virus a pandemic as it rapidly spread across the world.

Left uncontained, the virus spreads exponentially, with the number of people infected doubling on an almost daily basis. Whilst we still have much to learn about this new virus, what we do know is that it spreads very quickly even from people who don’t have symptoms, and has a death rate likely to be anywhere between 2 – 7%, as estimated by different authorities.

COVID-19, like all Coronaviruses, are circulating in animals and some of these coronaviruses have the capability of transmitting between animals and humans. This is called a spillover event. It is believed that the spillover event, at which point COVID-19 started infecting humans, occurred at the Wuhan wet market where a huge number and range of wild and exotic animals are sold for food. It has been suggested that COVID-19 originated from the consumption of pangolins and/or bats.

Whilst we are racing to understand and manage COVID-19, our major focus is on how the virus is spreading between humans. This is a major global concern with enormous implications for people, trade and the economy the world over. However, we also have a responsibility to protect our wildlife from the potential dangers of COVID-19. Having originated in animals, it is not hard to imagine that the now mutated virus could jump again from humans to animals and, currently, very little is being done to protect those animals. The animals most at risk are Mountain Gorillas and other great apes, by virtue of their closely matched DNA to humans.

Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) is seeking urgent funding to initiate a prevention plan to mitigate the potential risks of COVID-19 to some of the world’s remaining endangered Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. As well as putting in place measures to support prevention of cross-infection, Conservation Through Public Health will scale up monitoring of Mountain Gorillas to enable more rapid identification of issues.

The Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH) has put in place strong measures to prevent COVID-19 cases entering the country by enforcing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on people traveling from category 1 countries. Therefore, the main concern to the endangered great apes is for people traveling from category 2 and 3 countries and people living in Uganda. CTPH is a member of the MOH National Disease Taskforce where we found out that though there is a shortage of masks in Uganda and other countries right now, a masking cloth with lining is enough to prevent infection spreading between people and from people to gorillas and other wildlife.

CTPH is urgently seeking funding to support the Uganda Wildlife Authority with the following measures:

1. Training of park staff to manage tourists and gorillas during the coronavirus and other similar respiratory disease outbreaks. This includes ensuring the 7-meter viewing distance is enforced; mandatory hand washing prior to trekking; disinfection of visitors prior to ape viewing; and masking during viewing of great apes. The staff will also be trained to use infra red thermometers, for early detection of illness.

2. Training of park staff and Gorilla Guardians on monitoring of gorilla health and signs to watch out for which could signify COVID-19 infection in Mountain Gorillas. Gorilla Guardians are members of the Human and Gorilla Conflict Resolution ( HUGO) team who safely herd gorillas back to the park when they forage in community land

3. Training of Village Health and Conservation Teams to help communities take measures to prevent the COVID-19 infection including in villages where gorillas forage in community land. They reach every home in their village with critical information on good health and hygiene practices and also talk about gorillas and forest conservation

4.  Distribution of posters to display in key places around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to remind people of the guidelines on how communities can prevent themselves and gorillas from contracting COVID-19, working closely with the Ministry of Health.

The Uganda Ministry of Health  (MOH) has put in place strong measures to prevent COVID-19 cases entering the country by enforcing a mandatory 14-day quarantine on people traveling from category 1 countries. Therefore, the main concern to the endangered great apes is for people traveling from category 2 and 3 countries and people living in Uganda. CTPH is a member of the MOH National Disease Taskforce where we found out that though there is a shortage of masks in Uganda and other countries right now, a masking cloth with lining is enough to prevent infection spreading between people and from people to gorillas and other wildlife.

Conservation Through Public Health is urgently seeking funding to support the Uganda Wildlife Authority with the following measures:

1. Training of park staff to manage tourists and gorillas during the coronavirus and other similar respiratory disease outbreaks. This includes ensuring the 7-meter viewing distance is enforced; mandatory hand washing prior to trekking; disinfection of visitors prior to ape viewing; and masking during viewing of great apes. The staff will also be trained to use infra red thermometers, for early detection of illness. Though unlike some of the other diseases, people affected with COVID-19 may not show symptoms and yet still be able to pass on the disease.

2. Training of park staff and Gorilla Guardians (who safely herd gorillas back to the park when they forage in community land) on monitoring of gorilla health and signs to watch out for which could signify COVID-19 infection in Mountain Gorillas.

3. Training of Village Health and Conservation Teams (who reach every home in their village with critical health, hygiene and conservation information),  to help communities take measures to prevent the COVID-19 infection including in villages where gorillas forage in community land.

4.  Distribution of posters to display in key places around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to remind people of the guidelines on how communities can prevent themselves and gorillas from contracting COVID-19, working closely with the Ministry of Health.