The life of mountain gorillas never stops. David went back to camp early and furious one day in May. He came onto Lee seated next to the new track from that morning as he had approached Nunkies group. Petula was close by, but something seemed off. Lee stood up as David drew near and the issue was obvious.

She was trapped in a trap, her ankle securely encircled by a wire noose. David turned to see if he could cut the wire, but Nunkie’s bluff charge halted him. David brought up the issue with Dian back at camp. She instructed one of the trackers to walk toward the group and then fire a pistol to frighten the other gorillas away. In principle David would have some time to remove the trap. When they actually fired the rifle, Lee was so terrified by the loudness that she tore the trap from its spring mechanism and left with her family.

Craig watched sadly for many days as Lee hobbled about trailing the wire behind her. He could see where the strain of tearing free had tightened the metal noose such that it cut sharply off revulsion toward misery. Six years before, he had spent many days freeing domestic animals and wildlife caught by the rising waves during the great floods from Hurricane Andrew in his home Susquehanna valley. His first dream was of become a veterinarian.

Though medical darts and medications to immobilize animals at an increasing number of field stations are now readily available, Karisoke lacked a strategy or approach to handle the ongoing issue of wounded gorillas. All we could do, without the tools or power to act, was wait and arrange a rescue should Lee ever be left alone.

Bill accompanied Craig on what seemed to be a slow motion death watch as Lee gradually sank. She would spend hours sitting in the middle of the day, her head tilted forward on her breast. She would sway unsteadily for a few paces when she stood, then sit once again. Petula would carry hear sometimes; she mainly remained at her side or near by.

She burst. The remainder of the group would go away to eat, then come back to rest close to their weakest member. The young gorilla would periodically produce a subdued groan, a pitiful cry of suffering. Frustration blended with anger at her predicament. At last Petula started to spend more time apart from Lee.

Bill and Craig developed a proposal for which Peter Viet was also hired.Craig would grab Lee at the first chance and dash back to camp at great speed. Should Petula or Nunkie pursue him, Bill and Peter would serve as a rear guard. We had never attempted that before, so Peter questioned how a silverback would react to a cough grunt.

Arriving to the group that morning, it seemed we were late. Petula was nowhere to be seen as Lee slept quiet in the night nest she had shared with her mother. We approached closely and looked for life. Craig claimed to have seen Lee’s heave and we acted. Heart thumping, Bill passed Lee to take up his station while Peter was a few feet away.

Craig cried “Got her!” and ran away just as Nunkie tore over the nearby grass. Nunkie pushed forward in a brief terrible instant, halted just short of the arm waving, yelled white monkeys, then wheeled 180 degrees in escape. Bill and Peter understood that now was not the time for lingering. Turning back and focusing sharply on the area where Nunkie vanished, we rapidly joined Craig in high speed flight.