Walking with Gorillas

The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet

By: Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

Narrated by: Waceke Wambaa

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

An Inspiring Memoir, for Fans of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Frans De Waal.

In her enchanting memoir, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian, tells the remarkable story from her animal-loving childhood to her career protecting endangered mountain gorillas and other wild animals. She is also the defender of people as a groundbreaking promoter of human public health and an advocate for revolutionary integrated approaches to saving our planet. In an increasingly interconnected world, animal and human health alike depend on sustainable solutions and Dr. Gladys has developed an innovative approach to conservation among the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and their human neighbors.

Walking with Gorillas takes the listener on an incredible personal journey with Dr. Gladys, from her early days as a student in Uganda, enduring the assassination of her father during a military coup, to her veterinarian education in England to establishing the first veterinary department for the Ugandan government to founding one of the first organizations in the world that enables people to coexist with wildlife through improving the health and wellbeing of both. Her award-winning approach reduced the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on critically endangered mountain gorillas.

In the face of discrimination and a male dominated world, one woman’s passion and determination to build a brighter future for the local wildlife and human community offers inspiration and insights into what is truly possible for our planet when we come together.

©2023 Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka (P)2023 Skyhorse Audio

Critic reviews

“I recommend this book to everyone interested in conservation, alleviating poverty, and the role of women in society. But perhaps most importantly it is a truly inspiring story of how one determined and dedicated woman overcame many setbacks and faced many dangers to follow and realize her dream.”—Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE and UN Messenger of Peace (from the foreword)

“This uplifting debut by conservationist Kalema-Zikusoka reflects on her upbringing in Uganda and career as a wildlife veterinarian. Born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1970, the author was two years old when her father, a former cabinet minister, was abducted and murdered by the forces of then-president Idi Amin. She recounts devoting herself to her education and enrolling at the University of London Royal Veterinary College, becoming at age 26 Uganda’s first veterinarian specializing in wild animals. Vivid anecdotes detail the sometimes gritty nature of her work with endangered mountain gorillas, as when she describes using sugar to help reduce swelling around a gorilla’s prolapse. Through her work, she became 'convinced that you couldn’t keep the gorillas healthy without improving the health and well-being of the people with whom they shared their fragile habitats' and began studying disease transmission between humans and primates. That research, she relates, enabled her to successfully advocate for Uganda’s adoption of the 'One Health' approach to conservation, which recognizes that human hygiene and health lead to better welfare for plants and animals. The heartwarming narrative testifies to the good that one person can achieve and illuminates the complex interdependence between human and their environments. Admirers of Jane Goodall will love this. (Feb.)"—Publishers Weekly

“Her zeal for animals and gorillas in particular, as witnessed in this book, have lead Gladys to ground breaking innovations in conservation winning her global awards. This is an awe-inspiring walk by a remarkable lady who stands to be counted among women of incredible determination and purpose.”—HRH Nnabagereka, Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, Queen of Buganda Kingdom, Uganda

Extraordinary memoir

This extraordinary memoir is not only a fascinating story for the general public interested in gorillas and conservation, but should be on the syllabus of every academic conservation degree program. The author captures the experience of doing fieldwork as well as creating a sustainable program that benefits both gorillas and their neighboring human communities.

Inspiration on a critical topic

The author’s account of becoming Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian who established an innovative, highly effective NGO to protect gorillas AND benefit the health and welfare of local communities is inspirational. She is a fabulous role model for women and conservationists worldwide who are looking for ways to save even the most critically endangered animals.

Inspiring Story of Humans and Gorillas

Dr. Gladys’s love of all animals drew her to a career in veterinary medicine, while her love of her home country of Uganda — its people and wildlife — led her to apply her considerable skills to the wild mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. She immediately addressed the shared challenges of the humans and the gorillas: shared diseases and economic pressures that drove poaching. In addition to the medical needs of the gorillas, Dr. Gladys also tackled the social, economic, and environmental issues effecting both groups.
A brilliant story, well told and well worth reading.
The low rating for the performance is because the narrator has an African accent, while the real Dr. Gladys speaks perfectly unaccented English, having been educated in the U.K. and the U.S. Selecting a narrator with an accent smacks of pandering to colonial stereotypes.

Great and Inspiring!

I met Dr. Gladys when she came to Denver for her book tour. She is very interesting and has a great story to tell regarding her passion and hard work with respect to conservation and equal concern for the local communities that are mutually impacted by each initiative. I liked the narration especially since it was not narrated by a well spoken English/American accent and hopefully the narrator is Ugandan or maybe from the DRC!

Be nice

It sounds like the author did very good work. Her rise against challenges was admirable. What stood out to me? The criticisms cast upon people through secondhand knowledge or innuendo. While others' diabolical or harmful behavior was marginalized or rationalized. A more unbiased history would greatly be appreciated.