Oct
22

Sidedoor: The Gorilla Epidemic

This episode of Sidedoor reminds us that humans and wildlife share more than our planet: we share our diseases.

Graphic for Sidedoor episode "The Gorilla Epidemic"

When a highly-contagious mystery illness spread through the world’s already endangered mountain gorilla population in the 1980s, biologists feared the entire species could be lost. Wild gorillas don’t really respond to public health pleas to wear masks or practice social distancing, so there wasn’t much time for the scientists to identify the illness and find a cure for humanity’s hirsute cousins. What they discovered in 1988 reminds us in 2020 that humans and wildlife share more than our planet: we share disease.

Listen now the latest episode of Sidedoor.

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Posted: 22 October 2020
About the Author:

Jessica Sadeq has worked in the Central Office of Public Affairs since June 2007. She is the Marketing Manager for the Office of Communications and External Affairs.