1. The heroes at Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo removing a poachers snare from the hand of Theodore a wild baby gorilla.

Thankfully they were able to save his hand!

Now here’s the extraordinary part...

2. In order to be able to work on Theodore’s hand, the vets had to get permission from the patriarch, the silverback, in order to help Theodore

Remember, these are wild gorillas!

Thankfully, Humba gave them permission

This is how Theodore was found...look at his left hand

3. Here’s baby Theodore the day after...he’s not so sure about humans now...and for good reason!

4. Baby Theodore post-recovery with mom and dad. Theodore is exactly where he should be at his age, on mom’s back and staying out of trouble.

5. Don’t forget, all the vets and rangers wear masks around the gorillas at all times (especially now) because all primates can contract coronavirus. If any of these gorillas contracted coronavirus, it could wipe out the whole population...gorillas can die from the common cold.

6. All of these extraordinary efforts are made to protect the mountain gorillas because there’s fewer than 1,100 wild living mountain gorillas left in the whole world.

Not only could baby Theodore have lost his hand, he could have died.

Every life is precious.

7. How many masked rangers and vets does it take to remove a poachers snare from the hand of a baby gorilla?

Nine!