Meet Dr Gladys Kalema- Uganda’s Dian Fossey Who Is Championing the Cause to Conserve Gorillas, Has Been Nominated for the Prestigious Tusk Conservation Award.- Uganda Safari News

Meet Dr Gladys Kalema- Uganda’s Dian Fossey Who Is Championing the Cause to Conserve Gorillas, Has Been Nominated for the Prestigious Tusk Conservation Award.

Dr Gladys Kalema for over 20 years has dedicated her life to the conservation of the incredible and endangered mountain gorillas. Most of her works has been done in the shadows and she has greatly remained unknown to many people. However, she has gotten recognized on an international platform with a nomination from the prestigious Tusk Conservation Awards 2019.

Dr Gladys Kalema with other nominees for the TUSK awards pose for a group photo with the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge at Kesington Palace

In a prestigious ceremony that took place last night be held at The Empire Cinema, Leicester Square, in London for the first time, in attendance of Prince William and other celebrities such as singer Katherine Jenkins and French Irish Tv presenter Liz Bonnin. Dr Gladys was placed alongside other conservation heros in Africa in a bid to recognize their efforts towards a greater cause than any of us which to ensure that the endangered species of Africa get a chance to not only live but also thrive in their natural habitats. Other nominees for the prestigious Tusk Conservation Award included Jenerie Lekelelie a former Maasai Warrior from the Kenyan region of Samburu who has championed the drive to conserve lions of Kenya. The other nominee in the conservationist category was Tomas Diagne an African Turtle biologist who has dedicated 25 years of life in saving the Sulcata tortoises. Tomas Diagne was the biggest winner of the night as emerged victorious in the conservationist catergory.

What are Tusk Conservation Awards?

The Tusk Conservation Awards aim to shine a light to conservationists in Africa who have done an incredible job in ensuring that various wildlife species in Africa have an opportunity to thrive in their natural habitat which is frequently being infringed on by humans for various reasons hence leading to human-wildlife conflicts. This year marks the seventh year of these awards that were created in 2013 with Prince William the Duke of Cambridge and second to the throne of England and his wife Kate Middleton the Duchess of Cambridge as the Royal patrons to the awards. In his words during last night’s awarding ceremony, Prince William said “These awards which mean a great deal to me personally, play a huge part in our mission to preserve Africa’s precious wildlife for its people.  It is vital that we recognise the dedication of these unsung heroes and the bravery of rangers risking their lives, day and night, on conservation’s frontline. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude.” Other outstanding partners and sponsors of the awards include Investec Asset Management, British carmaker giant Land Rover and another private donor who maintains his or her anonymity.

Dr Gladys Kalema far-right & other nominees posing for a photo with the Royal Patron of Tusk Prince William third from left

Who is Dr Gladys Nakalema?

According to her website, Dr Gladys Kalema in the legacy of the late Dian Fossey,  has become one of the leading conservationists and scientists working to save the critically endangered mountain gorillas of East Africa. She is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), a 16-year old nonprofit organization that promotes conservation by improving the quality of life of people and wildlife to enable them to coexist in and around protected areas in Africa.

She became an Ashoka Fellow in 2007 for merging Uganda’s wildlife management and rural public health programs to create common resources for both people and animals. Dr. Gladys trained as a veterinarian at the University of London’s Royal Veterinary College. Between 1996 and 2000, she set up the first Veterinary Unit at the Uganda Wildlife Authority. From 2000 to 2003, she completed a zoological medicine residency and masters in specialized veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University and North Carolina Zoological Park. Prior to setting up CTPH she also did a certificate in Non-profit Management from Duke University. Most recently in 2016, she completed an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability – Social Entrepreneurship Track.

Her most recent awards include the 2017 World Wildlife Day Award from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) for outstanding contribution to conservation in Uganda and 2017 Golden Jubilee Award from the President of Uganda for distinguished service to the nation as a veterinarian and conservationist on International Women’s Day.

Other awards include San Diego Zoo’s 2008 “Conservation in Action Award,” the 2009 Whitley Gold Award for outstanding leadership in grassroots nature conservation; 2011 Wings World Quest Women of Discovery Humanitarian Award, and 2014 CEO Communications Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government Award in Medicine and Veterinary category.

Dr Gladys recently became a National Geographic Explorer and winner of the Sierra Club’s 2018 EarthCare Award.

Under her leadership, Conservation Through Public Health won the Global Development Network 2012 Japanese Most Innovative Development Project Award for scaling social service delivery.

Encountering the magical gorillas that Dr Gladys has worked so had to protect?

Uganda is a country that dazzles with a wide range of flora and fauna but perhaps the mountain gorillas take the leading position shining a spotlight to Uganda as a destination that you should always consider for your next Africa safari adventure. A Uganda gorilla safari takes you to the epic Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda is home to over 400 mountain gorillas while Mgahinga is part of the large Virunga Massif conservation area which home to 600 gorillas. Gorilla trekking Uganda safaris to any of these 2 national parks give you an opportunity to meet any of the 19 gorilla families that have been habituated by conservationists like Dr Gladys and other stakeholders such as Uganda Wildlife Authority Park rangers to give you an amazing Uganda gorilla tour experience. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies about 512km or 10-hour drive away in the southwestern district of Kanungu while Mgahinga gorilla Park lies about 500km or 10-hour drive away in Kisoro district along Uganda’s border with Rwanda and Congo. If you aren’t going to fly to these Uganda tour destinations then I suggest you make a choose a good 4×4 safari car hire in Uganda for example, 4×4 safari vans for hire in Uganda, buses for hire in Uganda, 4×4 safari land cruisers for hire in Uganda, 4×4 safari tour vans for rent in Uganda. This is majorly because some of the road trip is done on murram roads hence it’s only these cars that are sturdy enough to manage the terrain and the conditions of the roads here.

Besides Uganda, gorilla conservation is also done in Congo and Rwanda since these countries also have these majestic humans of the wild within their territorial boundaries. In order to see these gorillas in Rwanda, you can make a Rwanda gorilla safari to Volcanoes National Park which is home to 10 gorilla families that have been habituated to give you a fantastic Rwanda gorilla tour experience. A Congo gorilla safari experience, on the other hand, takes you either Virunga National Park where you have a chance to encounter Mountain gorillas as this park is home to 8 gorilla families or Kahuzi Biega National Park where you will be in for a thrilling moment with the eastern lowland gorillas.

Would you like to have an encounter with any of these attractions in Uganda? Feel free to check out our website which ultimately gives you a preview of some of our safari in Uganda  packages that have been designed to lead you on an adventure to various parts of the country giving you unlimited access to the best of Africa safari attractions in Uganda. Our Uganda gorilla safaris packages that have been feature here are designed to give you an encounter with the magical gorillas while Uganda wildlife safari packages cater for those that are interested in epic Uganda savanna wildlife as well as culture and birds.

Regardless of your intended length of your stay in Uganda for a Uganda wildlife tour or Uganda gorilla tours experience, we’ve got you covered with our wide range of packages which include short Uganda wildlife safaris, these run from as low 2 days Uganda safari to Lake Mburo or 2 days Uganda wildlife tour to Queen Elizabeth. Long Uganda wildlife safaris, these run from 5 days to 18 days

A mother gorilla with her baby in Bwindi Impenetrable national park

For those on a Uganda gorilla trekking safari adventure we also have short Uganda gorilla tours that begin with a 3 days Uganda gorilla safari to Bwindi or a 4 days Bwindi gorilla safari and wildlife to Queen Elizabeth to long gorilla trekking Uganda tours that go to start from 6 days to 18 days for example 6 Days Uganda gorilla safari with chimpanzees. All our Uganda gorilla safaris and Uganda wildlife tours are done using the best  safari cars in our  fleet which consists of numerous safari cars  such as, 4×4 safari vans for hire in Uganda, buses for hire in Uganda, 4×4 safari land cruisers for hire in Uganda, 4×4 safari tour vans for rent in Uganda and 4×4 super customs for hire in Uganda

You can also try out our other signature Africa safaris that run through other Africa destinations such as Rwanda, Congo, Kenya and Tanzania and these include Rwanda gorilla safaris and these feature short Rwanda gorilla safaris as well as Long Rwanda gorilla safaris. Kenya wildlife safaris also feature both short Kenya wildlife safaris and Long Kenya wildlife safaris. Tanzania wildlife safaris and Congo gorilla and wildlife safaris have also been featured on this website.

Here are some of the best selling Uganda safaris

• 2 days Murchison falls National Park Uganda wildlife tour
• 2 Days Queen Elizabeth National Park safari Uganda wildlife tour
• 2 days Uganda wildlife tour lake Mburo National Park
• 3 days chimpanzee trekking safari tour Kibale Forest National Park
• 3 days Kidepo Valley National Park safari Uganda wildlife tour
• 3 days Murchison falls National Park Safari Uganda wildlife tour
• 3 days Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda wildlife tour
• 3 days Bwindi impenetrable gorilla trekking safari Uganda, gorilla tour Uganda
• 3 days Uganda gorilla trekking safari Bwindi impenetrable Uganda gorilla tour
• 4 days gorilla trekking safari Uganda wildlife safaris tour, Uganda wildlife safari Queen Elizabeth park
• 4 days Bwindi gorilla trekking tour lake Mburo
• 5 days Bwindi gorilla trekking safari Uganda wildlife tour lake Mburo
• 5 days primate safari Uganda gorilla safari Bwindi Uganda chimpanzee trekking safari
• 5 days Uganda gorilla trekking tour, gorilla tour Uganda, wildlife safari in Uganda
• 4 days Kidepo valley national park safari Uganda wildlife tour
• 4 days Uganda wildlife tour to queen Elizabeth national park & lake Mburo
• 5 days Uganda wildlife safari Murchison falls park & chimpanzee trekking safaris
• 6 days Uganda gorilla safaris, chimpanzee trekking safari Uganda
• 7 days Uganda gorilla trekking safari chimpanzee & wildlife
• 8 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari Tour Rwanda Wildlife & Chimpanzee Safari
• 8 days gorilla trekking safaris tour Rwanda wildlife & chimpanzee tracking safaris
• 9 days Rwenzori mountains safari Uganda tour
• 9 Days Rwenzori Mountain Safari