Volcanoes Veterinary Clinic

Volcanoes Veterinary Clinic was established in 1986 in Rwanda as the first dedicated veterinary facility for the care of endangered mountain gorillas. Founded by Ruth Morris Keesling and the Morris Animal Foundation at the request of primatologist Dian Fossey, the clinic provided essential medical interventions for gorillas suffering from poaching injuries and human-transmitted diseases. The clinic served as the foundation for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), which later became the international non-profit organization Gorilla Doctors. Today, its legacy continues through the ongoing work of veterinarians who provide hands-on medical care to gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The project is widely credited with helping the mountain gorilla become the only great ape species with an increasing wild population.