APE TOURISM AND HUMAN DISEASES: How Close Should We Get? A Critical Review of the Rules and Regulations Governing Park Management & Tourism for the Wild Mountain Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla beringei Report of a Consultancy for the International Gorilla Conservation Programme February 1999 Jaco Homsy, MD, MPH Gorillas are wild, let’s allow them to utilise their natural way of living and concentrate on [ensuring that] human beings who interfere with them are free of diseases that they may transmit to them… A Guide / Bwindi Impenetrable National Park December 1998 Ape Tourism and Human Diseases: How close should we get? Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................i List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................ii Glossary of Technical Terms .............................................................................................................. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................iv A. RESULTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW / CONSULTATIONS....................................................... iv A1 Documented evidence of shared susceptibility to pathogens ....................................................... iv A2 Diseases of concern...................................................................................................................... iv A3 Gorilla exposure to humans.......................................................................................................... iv B. ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT GORILLA TOURISM RULES............................................... v B1 Methodology.................................................................................................................................. v B2 Results and Recommendations ..................................................................................................... vi C. POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL PROTECTIVE/PREVENTIVE MEASURES....................................... ix C1 Measures designed to reduce the human risk ................................................................................ ix C2 Measures designed to enhance gorillas’ protection ...................................................................... xi D. CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................... xii 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................1 2. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES...................................................................................................2 3. METHODS................................................................................................................................................2 4. THE CURRENT RULES AND THEIR RATIONALE ........................................................................3 5. RESULTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW / CONSULTATIONS.........................................................3 5.1 Evidence of shared susceptibility to and transmission of pathogens between apes and humans ........................... 3 5.1.2 Evidence of actual transmission of human disease to gorillas and chimpanzees........................................ 10 5.2 Diseases of particular concern ............................................................................................................................. 10 5.3 Gorilla exposure to humans ................................................................................................................................. 13 5.3.1 Gorilla exposure to tourists......................................................................................................................... 13 5.3.2 Gorilla exposure to park staff and researchers............................................................................................ 13 5.3.3 Gorilla exposure to local human population............................................................................................... 15 6. DISCUSSION – DETERMINANTS OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION.............................................16 7 ASSESSMENT OF THE OVERALL DISEASE RISK TO GORILLAS..........................................17 8. ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT GORILLA TOURISM RULES.............................................17 8.1 Methodology........................................................................................................................................................ 18 8.2 Rule a: Limiting the frequency of visits.............................................................................................................. 25 8.3 Rule b: Limiting the number of visitors.............................................................................................................. 25 8.4 Rule c: Maintaining a minimum distance between visitors and gorillas............................................................. 28 8.5 Rule d: Limiting the duration of the tourist visit................................................................................................. 29 8.6 Rule e: Eating before or after gorilla viewing..................................................................................................... 30 8.7 Rule f: Disposal of human faeces........................................................................................................................ 30 8.8 Rule g: Prohibiting littering in park .................................................................................................................... 31 8.9 Rule h: Limiting the minimum age of eligibility to visit gorillas......................................................................... 32 8.10 Rule i: Prohibiting access to people who are ill .................................................................................................. 32 8.11 Rule j: Controlling smoking, eating, sneezing, and coughing in the presence of gorillas................................... 33 Ape Tourism and Human Diseases: How close should we get? 9. POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL PROTECTIVE/PREVENTIVE MEASURES......................................34 9.1 Measures designed to reduce risks from the human side ..................................................................................... 34 9.1.1 Wearing of protective devices – masks or gloves – by tourists .................................................................. 34 9.1.2 Disinfection and hygiene ............................................................................................................................ 39 9.1.3 Immunisations and/or testing of tourists, researchers and park staff .......................................................... 40 9.1.4 Systematic health monitoring of park staff and researchers ....................................................................... 42 9.1.5 Improving the health status of local communities ...................................................................................... 43 9.1.6 Active information/sensitisation campaign about the dangers of human disease for gorillas..................... 44 9.2 Measures Designed to Enhance Disease Prevention from the Gorillas’ Side ......................................................46 9.2.1 Fencing BINP visitor area off to keep animals from roaming in or around tourist settlements.................. 46 9.2.2 Active protection of habituated gorillas...................................................................................................... 46 9.2.3 Systematic gorilla health monitoring and research ..................................................................................... 48 10. ADDITIONAL SURVEY COMMENTS ON RULES.........................................................................50 11. CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................................................51 12. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS..........................................................................................................52 Appendix 1: References.......................................................................................................................54 Appendix 2: Terms of Reference for the Consultancy .....................................................................60 Appendix 3: List of People Consulted................................................................................................62 Appendix 4: Information & Opinion Survey Questionnaire–General Version.............................65 Appendix 5: Information & Opinion Survey Questionnaire–Guide Version ................................68 List of Tables Table 1: Documented evidence of susceptibility of apes to human pathogens and their survival in the environment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 Table 2: Ape pathogens known to infect humans----------------------------------------------------------------------9 Table 3: Examples of reported / documented cases of possible transmission of human diseases or pathogens to gorillas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Table 4: Gorilla Exposure to Humans---------------------------------------------------------------------------------