Zadock Amanyisa | Tayari News
Uganda’s first Wildlife Veterinary Doctor, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, has been nominated for the CNN Hero of the Year 2026 prize worth USD 100,000, an annual award presented by CNN to a person doing extraordinary work to bring about positive change in their communities.
Dr Kalema-Zikusoka, who has been selected with four others out of thousands of nominations worldwide, is famed for her work of protecting mountain gorillas through Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), a non-profit organisation based in Uganda and the US that conducts programs to protect gorillas and other wildlife from human and livestock disease risk; to reduce human and livestock diseases in the vicinity of wildlife; to increase the local use of family planning; and to use information and communication technology both to help local-level development and to educate people about the environment.
Kalema-Zikusoka was Uganda’s first wildlife veterinary officer and featured in the BBC documentary Gladys the African Vet. In 2009, she won the Whitley Gold Award for her conservation work. In December 2021, she was proclaimed a United Nations Environment Programme‘s Champion of the Earth for Science and Innovation for her work with the One Health initiative.
“When I became Uganda’s first wildlife veterinarian, I never imagined that caring for mountain gorillas would lead to a movement linking public health, conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Through CTPH Uganda, we have seen that when communities thrive, gorillas thrive,” she says
Dr Kalema’s work with over 10,000 households has helped the Bwindi gorilla population grow by over 50%. The population has risen to around 1,063.
Kalema was nominated alongside four others: Dion Dawson (USA), Andrew Lunetta (USA), Jaina Spagis (USA), and Kiko Trujillo (Mexico). Voting is open now and will run until November 29, 2026. 10 votes per day. The 100,000 USD cash prize will inspire the winner’s work