Walking With Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet    Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka Order:  USA  Can Arcade, 2023 (2023) Hardcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka's Walking With Gorillas: The Journey of an African Wildlife Vet is a compelling and remarkable read, in so many ways. In it, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian (a young woman when she took the job) recounts her career and advocacy for mountain gorillas (in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and elsewhere) - and for the communities living close to them. Jane Goodall wrote the Foreword, lauding Dr. Gladys's work with local communities - training poachers to protect the gorillas as Rangers; improving health care facilities for people and their livestock; protecting gorillas during the pandemic; and reducing villagers' reliance on tourism. 'She has made a huge different to conservation in Uganda' and won countless awards and prizes.' When she was only two years old, Dr. Gladys's father, a government minister, was killed by Idi Amin's soldiers. After running a secondary school wildlife club, she studied at the Royal Veterinary College in London - and began her focus on gorillas. Readers learn that gorillas are our closest cousins, sharing 98.4% genetic material! There is controversy about gorilla tourism, which both increases their community support, and exposes them to disease, and potentially to poachers. Yet 'the only gorilla subspecies whose population is growing is the mountain gorilla, where there is a thriving tourism industry and revenue from gorilla trekking tourists is shared with the local communities.' Gorillas habituated to tourists tend to enter community villages, sometimes resulting in conflict and/or disease transmission. Dr. Gladys covers many such scenarios in her memoir. She also tells us of the challenges of translocating elephants and giraffes! A major achievement was her launch of an NGO, Conservation Through Public Health, taking a 'holistic approach that integrated human, wildlife, and livestock health.' Family planning was later integrated into the program, by involving local community members. Dr. Gladys emphasizes the need to empower women in communities, and to address the rate of human population growth worldwide. Walking With Gorillas is inspiring and thought provoking - don't miss it. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews