Thrusday, December 24, 1998
Zoo veterinarian goes to gorillas
BY JIM KNIPPENBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Well would you look at this: Gorilla's at long last.
That from Dr. Ken Cameron, the Cincinnati Zoo veterinarian who in May 1997 took a sabbatical, packed up and moved to Rawanda.
The move was for the Morris Animal Foundation's Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, a 50-year effort that provides health care for the 600 or so mountain gorillas left in the world. Cameron's job is to trek into Volcanoes National Park, home of the gorillas, to deliver health care.
For a year and a half, he saw a zillion guerrillas, but almost no gorillas, because of civil unrest raging around the park. But in late November, fighting eased enough for him and a team to go in.
Only crisis was a juvenile gorilla that had three fingers caught in a poacher's snare, cutting off circulation. If left untended, the condition would have led to infection and death, Morris spokeswoman Jennifer Chavez says.
While other members of the team distracted the rest of the troop (these gorillas don't like strangers fooling with their kids), Cameron anesthetized the youngster, removed the snare and cleaned the wound. The gorilla may still lose two or three fingers, but there's no longer a risk of infection.
Such interventions are necessary three or four times a year because of injuries caused by humans (poacehrs usually). Chavez believes jungle visits to check on the animals will soon be resumed. She even thinks tourist may begin visiting again soon.
Cameron's tour runs through May (but extensions are common).
ON BENDED KNEE: Dang, don't you love those romantics. Dan Cahill, for example.
He talked girlfriend Jill Grever, a Channel 5 news producer, into going to Rome with him earlier this month. Told her the long weekend was a Christmas present.
She took the bait but found out the Christmas gift was a scam when he did the bended-knee bit in front of Rome's Trevi Fountain and heaven only knows how many people.
She accepted, gave thanks at Mass at St. Peter's, waved to the pope in his weekly audience and then set the date for Aug. 14.
LOOKING GOOD: Well Cincinnati, you old frump. This time you really took the curlers out of your hair and put on the dog. And don't you look lovely?
Referring here to The 1999 Cincinnati Calendar (BrownTrout Publishers; $10.99) with 12 drop-dead gorgeous shots of hometown scenes. Such as: the Suspension Bridge; sunset over the Ohio River; Mount Adams, looking oh so European; the Boathouse in morning sunlight; the skyline, shot from Mount Adams looking west; the skyline shot from Liberty Hill (they identify it as Library Hill, but you get the idea).
The photographer is Deer Park shooter William Manning, who has done the calendar for the past three years and will continue through 2000.
“I'm continually shooting Cincinnati images and keeping them on file. For the '99 calendar, I submitted 40-50 images. Last week, I submitted 50 or so for 2000.”
Shots on the Cincinnati calendar are about two years old. “We work that far in advance,” he said.
Cincinnati shows up in another BrownTrout calendar: It's The 1999 Ohio Places Calendar, with shots of Cleveland's waterfront, an Amish farm in Holmes County, Zanesville's skyline (yeah, they have one); and the classic trompe l'oeil mural seen from Central Parkway. This one was photographed by Clevelander Ian Adams.
Both calendars are at bookstores even as we type.
Psst! appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Have an item to report? Call Jim Knippenberg at 768-8513; fax: 768-8330.
KNIPPENBERG ARCHIVE
