Debbie McGuire Gorilla Keeper Grant 2006

[Guest guest]

The Dewar Wildlife Trust is pleased to announce the 2006 recipient of the

Debbie McGuire Gorilla Keeper Grant, an annual grant of $1,000 awarded to

gorilla caregivers to enhance their knowledge and/or experiences with

gorilla husbandry, etc.

 

Bruno Djakou, a Cameroonian national, has worked with gorillas since 1997 at

CWAF (Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund), where there are currently 15 gorillas in

residence, all rescued victims of the bushmeat trade. Bruno had a brief

cameo in the TV show about CWAF on Animal Planet's " Growing Up Gorilla " , and

has been working with juvenile and infant gorillas for almost a decade, yet

he has never seen an adult gorilla.

 

With the grant and contributions from others, Bruno hopes to travel to

another zoo (possibly in England) to see his very first silverback up close,

which will be an exciting learning opportunity to prepare Bruno and his

colleagues for what they will be facing as their 15 gorillas (the oldest, a

female named Geri, who is 10 years old) mature. In his application for the

DM Grant, Bruno wrote: " If you choose me my dream is to visit another zoo or

sanctuary with big gorillas. I can never imagine seeing the size of a true

silverback. My babies are now getting big and I want to be able to give them

the best care possible. Maybe you could help me and my gorillas to realize

our dream. "

 

Past winners of the DM Grant included keepers from the Czech Republic,

India, Spain and Rwanda. The grant accepts applications year-round, with

deadlines for applications being September 30th of each year. The winner is

announced by November 2nd of each year, but this year we were able to

announce Bruno's win early. For more information contact Jane Dewar at

jdewar .