Conservation Through Public Health achieves gorilla conservation by enabling humans, wildlife and livestock to coexist through improving primary healthcare in and around Africa’s protected areas.

Sharing 98.4% identical genetic makeup, humans are more similar to their furry friends than one might think, and disease can spread between wildlife, humans and livestock as a result of humans and gorillas living in such close proximity.

In 2009, after a visit to Uganda and Rwanda to trek with the critically endangered mountain gorilla, Absolute's Marketing Manager Katie Losey was completely taken by the gorillas. "The gorillas I encountered were charming and adorable, with personalities all their own. It's not surprising we have a 98.4% DNA match. What is smart about CTPH's approach is they protect gorillas through empowering and strengthening the local community, recognizing that one part is linked to the other. It is not just about gorillas, or about public health; the success relies on CTPH’s commitment to giving the local people the means to create solutions at the grassroots level."

If time is the most valuable commodity, Absolute Travel has contributed quite a lot! Absolute's contributions to Conservation Through Public Health include: Absolute Travel staffer Katie Losey redesigned and maintains CTPH's website; trekked alongside CTPH's Wildlife Health Monitoring staffers; worked with CTPH's Human Health team; snapped all photographs to build the CTPH website; was featured in Worth Magazine promoting CTPH; and among other projects, she is working with Dr. Gladys to organize CTPH's first official fundraiser to celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2012. The fundraiser will incorporate one of the only gorilla handprints documented – stay tuned!