gladys kalema-zikusoka

Growing up under the reign of military dictator Idi Amin, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka had to create the position of wildlife veterinarian for herself.

Claudia talks to Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka about community led conservation. They discuss her work with gorillas in Bwindi National Park and how helping them involves working together with the community through health initiatives, efforts to create better livelihoods, and paying attention to food security.  

Date Recorded: 23 November 2022

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award-winning NGO that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches. After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, in 1996, she established Uganda Wildlife Authority’s first veterinary department. In 2000, she did a Zoological Medicine Residency and Master in Specialized Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina Zoological Park and North Carolina State University, where masters research on disease at the human/wildlife/livestock interface led her to found CTPH in 2003. In 2015,stogether with her husband Lawrence Zikusoka, she founded Gorilla Conservation Coffee to support farmers living around habitats where gorillas are found.  She has won many awards for her work. In 2021 she was recognised by Avance Media among 100 most influential women in Africa and won the UNEP Champions of the Earth Award in the category of Science and Innovation. She is the winner of the 2022 Edinburgh Medal for her work in Planetary health and 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize. Gladys is also on the leadership council of Women for the Environment in Africa, Chairperson of the Africa Chapter of the Explorers Club, Vice President of the African Primatological Society, and a member of the World Health Organisation Special Advisory Group for the Origin of Novel Pathogens (WHO SAGO). 

Claudia (Towne) Hirtenfelder is the founder and host of The Animal Turn. She is a PhD Candidate in Geography and Planning at Queen’s University and is currently undertaking her own research project looking at the geographical and historical relationships between animals (specifically cows) and cities. She was awarded the AASA Award for Popular Communication for her work on the podcast. Contact Claudia via email (info@theanimalturnpodcast.com) or follow her on Twitter (@ClaudiaFTowne).

Featured: 

• Walking with Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet by Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
• Considerations for an ethic of One Health: Towards a socially responsible zoonotic disease control by Joost van Herten 

The Animal Turn is part of the  iROAR, an Animals Podcasting Network and can also be found on A.P.P.L.E, Twitter, and

The Animal Turn is hosted and produced by Claudia Hirtenfelder and is part of iROAR Network. Find out more on our website.

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, is the Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH - https://ctph.org/), a 16-year old non-profit organization, based in Uganda, that promotes conservation by improving the quality of life of people and wildlife to enable them to coexist in and around protected areas in Africa, and she has become one of the leading conservationists and scientists working to save the critically endangered mountain gorillas of East Africa. Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka is also on the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) of the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/groups/scientific-advisory-group-on-the-origins-of-novel-pathogens-(sago)/about) Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka trained as a veterinarian at the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College. Between 1996 and 2000, she set up the first Veterinary Unit at the Uganda Wildlife Authority. From 2000 to 2003, she completed a zoological medicine residency and masters in specialized veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Zoological Park. Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka became an Ashoka Fellow in 2007 for merging Uganda’s wildlife management and rural public health programs to create common resources for both people and animals. Prior to setting up CTPH, Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka also did a certificate in Non-profit management from Duke University. Most recently in 2016, she completed an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability – Social Entrepreneurship Track. Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka's most recent awards include the 2017 World Wildlife Day Award from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) for outstanding contribution to conservation in Uganda and 2017 Golden Jubilee Award from the President of Uganda for distinguished service to the nation as a veterinarian and conservationist on International Women’s Day. Other awards include San Diego Zoo’s 2008 “Conservation in Action Award,” the 2009 Whitley Gold Award for outstanding leadership in grassroots nature conservation; 2011 Wings World Quest Women of Discovery Humanitarian Award, and 2014 CEO Communications Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government Award in Medicine and Veterinary category. Under Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka's leadership, Conservation Through Public Health won the Global Development Network 2012 Japanese Most Innovative Development Project Award for scaling social service delivery. Dr. Kalema-Zikusoka recently became a National Geographic Explorer and winner of the Sierra Club’s 2018 EarthCare Award, 2019 Finalist for the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa, the 2020 Uganda Veterinary Association World Veterinary Day Award and the 2020 Aldo Leopold award. She is also on the leadership council of Women for the Environment in Africa.

Gorillas and humans share about 98% of their DNA in common. There are truly no words to describe the experience of trekking into the African highland rainforests to spend an hour with these incredible animals. It’s like visiting an ancestor from an ancient time. Happily, their status was downgraded from critically endangered to…endangered just a few years ago. But there is still so much more that needs to be done to preserve these forest-dwelling living wonders.

Building upon the legacy of visionary researchers like Dian Fossey, who brought awareness to the plight of mountain gorillas when it was most critical, conservation of these primates is a case study in how of tourism can accomplish a tremendous amount of good – not just because of the international interest and funds coming in, but because of how carefully the industry is managed by dedicated people in Uganda and Rwanda.

On today’s episode, we talk to three individuals whose work is ultimately crucial to the survival of the mountain gorillas of Africa’s Great Lakes region. Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is the first Wildlife Veterinary Officer of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the founder of an NGO called Conservation Through Public Health. They work to educate and empower the communities living around the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and make them partners in protecting the endangered mountain gorillas.

Praveen Moman grew up in Uganda and, when he founded Volcanoes Safaris in 1997, pioneered the idea of luxury gorilla tourism in the country. He was also among the first operators to open a safari lodge in neighboring Rwanda after that country’s strife in the 1990s and 2000s. His unique perspective on the central role of tourism to gorilla conservation programs, and how travelers can bring much-needed attention, aid, and action to the effort to save the great apes, leaves us hopeful and all the more determined to visit this part of the world once again.

We would also like to thank Emmanuel Bugingo of Partners for Conservation in Rwanda, who spoke to us on background. His organization helps communities living around Volcanoes National Park and promotes conservation efforts by focusing on three main priorities: public health, literacy, and conservation education and employment..