MarleneK.Haggblade1,WoutrinaA.Smith1,JeanBoscoNoheri2,KirstenV.K.Gilardi1,21UCDavisSchoolofVeterinaryMedicine,2GorillaDoctors

Aims:① Todetermineriskfactorsforensnarement.② TobeKerunderstandhowfactorsassociatedwithveterinary

intervenMonimpacttheone-monthsurvivalofmountaingorillas.

Hypotheses:① Riskfactorsincludingage,sex,season,andco-morbidityare

associatedwithincreasedriskofensnarement.② Forensnaredindividuals,co-morbidity,snare-type,Mme-to-

intervenMon,woundtreatment,andwoundseverityaffectthegorilla’slikelihoodoflasMngphysicalimpairmentordeathone-monthpost-intervenMon.

•  WewouldliketothankJoostPhilippa,MikeCranfield,andClemenMneUsanasefortheirhelpthroughoutthestudy.

•  FinancialsupportwasprovidedbytheStudentsTraininginAdvancedResearchprogramandtheUCDavisSummerExternshipcommiKee.

RiskFactorsandVeterinaryOutcomesforSnare-RelatedInjuriesinEndangeredMountainGorillas(Gorillaberingeiberingei)inRwanda

INTRODUCTION MATERIALS&METHODS DISCUSSION

AIMS&HYPOTHESES RESULTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

•  MountaingorillasarecriMcallyendangered.

•  ExtremeconservaMoneffortshavehelpedincreasetheirpopulaMonfrom250animals(1980)to880animals(2011).

•  Majorthreatsincludehabitatencroachment,zoonoMcdisease,poliMcalinstability,andsnare-relatedtrauma.

•  InRwanda,allmountaingorillasliveinVolcanoesNaMonalParkwhere,unfortunately,hunterscanillegallysetsnaresforforestwildlife.

•  GorillaDoctorsprovidesveterinarycareformountaingorillasinRwanda,DemocraMcRepublicofCongo,andUganda(Fig.1).

•  Between1995–2015GorillaDoctorshasperformed132medicalintervenMonsinRwanda,including37forsnare-relatedtrauma.

Design:RetrospecMvecase-controlstudyof132mountaingorillas.

Studysite:VolcanoesNaMonalPark,Rwanda(Fig.2).

StaQsQcs:RegressionanalysesofriskfactorsassociatedwithcaseorcontroloutcomeusingStatasoeware.

① Riskfactors-snareentrapmentoutcome:•  Cases:snaredgorillas(n=37).•  Controls:gorillasthatreceivedintervenMonsforotherreasons

(e.g.,respiratorydisease)(n=95).•  Riskfactors:age,sex,season,andco-morbidity.

② ClinicalintervenMonfactors-survivalstatusoutcome:•  Cases:snaredgorillaswhodiedorsufferedphysical

impairmentone-monthpostintervenMon(n=5).•  Controls:snaredgorillasthatsurvivedandfullyrecovered

one-monthpostintervenMon(n=32).•  Clinicalfactors:co-morbidity,MmetointervenMon,useof

anesthesia,treatmentprotocol,andwoundseverity.Fig1.GorillaintervenMon.

Fig3.Leepanel:rope(top)versuswire(boKom)snare.Rightpanel:mild(top)

versussevere(boKom)wounds.

Fig2.Studysite–VolcanoesNaMonalPark,Rwanda.

StaQsQcallySignificant*Results:

① Riskfactorsthatincreasechanceofsnareentrapment:•  Youngage:gorillas<8years

old.② ClinicalintervenMonfactorsthat

leadtoimpairedsurvivalstatus:•  Co-morbidity:presenceof

simultaneousdisease.•  DelayedintervenQon:

intervenMonsthattook≥3daystoexecute.

•  Severewounds:withnecroMcandischemicMssue(Fig.3).

*StaMsMcalsignificancedefinedasP<0.05

•  ClearsuccessofGorillaDoctors:Ofthe132intervenMonsinRwanda,allbut19individualsrecoveredcompletely(an86%successrate).

•  Focusfuturemonitoringeffortsonyoungeranimals:With86%ofsnaredcasesoccurringingorillaslessthan8yearsold,encouragevigilantmonitoringofthisage-class.

•  Striveforrapidresponse:TimelyclinicalintervenMonsandcarefuldailyobservaMonscouldimproveone-monthsurvivalstatus.

•  Strengthsofstudy:Robustsamplesize(n=132)forinvesMgaMnganimportantcauseofmorbidityinanendangeredspecies.

•  Weaknessesofstudy:DuetolimitaMonsofavailabledata,wewererestrictedtoassessingsurvivalstatusatone-month.

•  Futurework:BeKerunderstandthelongtermimpactsofensnarementonsurvivalstatusandreproducMvesuccess.