Chris Whittier: Cousins In The Mist

In 1988 a Hollywood movie called Gorillas in the Mist depicted the work of the noted primatologist Dian Fossey and brought well-warranted attention to the plight of the mountain gorilla. In the intervening years, the story of how the mountain gorilla has been saved from extinction has been a prominent narrative for the animal conservation movement. But we haven’t heard much lately about the mountain gorilla. And what of its close relative the lowland gorilla, which is much more numerous than its mountain brethren, and is facing its own threats to survival?

This week on Sea Change Radio, we learn about the state of the world's gorilla population from Chris Whittier, a professor of veterinary medicine at Tufts University and a Veterinary Medical Officer at the Smithsonian. We'll get a glimpse into the different challenges that both mountain and lowland gorillas are up against, and come away with a better understanding of why it is of vital importance that we save these magnificent cousins in the mist.