Cute Pictures from Mountain Gorilla Births in February

Twins born in February, a rare event! Here's the link to some cute pictures! Eerie how similar to humans they appear....

Four Mountain Gorillas Die

There are only 380 left in this particular Virunga population so the loss of four is pretty devastating percentage-wise.

Volcano Threatens Endangered Chimpanzees

A volcano near Virunga National Park has erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The 700 remaining mountain gorillas are safe because they are out of the lava's path, but about 40 endangered chimpanzees and other animals living in the area are directly threatened.

Virunga Wildlife Rangers On the Offensive Against Militias

The Congolese rangers protect the wildlife in Virunga National Park, the most famous inhabitants of which are the 700 remaining mountain gorillas. These rangers are very brave people with possibly the most dangerous jobs in the world. And they don't get paid very much at all.

They've just launched an offensive against the militias that are destroying habitat in order to get charcoal. One of these militias was involved in the Rwandan genocide.

From the official website of Virunga National Park.

The Congolese National Park Authorities have sent the biggest ever deployment of armed rangers to strike at charcoal-making operations run by armed groups deep in the forests of Virunga National Park in Eastern DR Congo. The move, undertaken in collaboration with the UN peace-keeping forces MONUC, follows a report by the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo identifying charcoal from Virunga National Park as a major source of revenue for illegal armed groups. These include the FDLR, the Rwandan militia whose members are held responsible for the Rwandan Genocide in 1994.

Another Dead Mountain Gorilla

A post-mortem is being conducted on Bariyanga, a mountain gorilla found dead in Virunga. There are now only five members left in her group.

This link takes you to a picture of her.

Animals Dying in Virunga National Forest

Lots of animals have died since the beginning of the year. From AFP...

Dozens of animals have been killed by armed groups at Africa's oldest national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of the year, park officials and environmental groups said Tuesday....

"Four chimpanzees were killed last week in the central zone and 11 elephants since the start of the year," park director Emmanuel de Merode told AFP.

He added "a large number of game animals", including antelopes, had also been slaughtered.

Bantu Lukamba, from local environmental NGO Innovation, said: "At least 31 animals, including 11 migratory birds and three hippos were killed over 21 days."

They died between May 25 and June 16, he said.

Here's sobering statistic. In 1980, Lake Edward had a hippopotamus sanctuary with 27,000 animals. Now there are only 300.

UN Launches Projects to Help Mountain Gorillas

Habitat destruction is a very serious threat to the mountain gorilla. Desperately poor people are devastating Virunga National Park in search of wood. This pressure has only increased with refugees from the many wars that have raged over the years.

From the UN News Centre....

The 2009 Year of the Gorilla (YoG) partnership is supporting a project enabling local residents in areas endangered by increasing demands for fuel – not least the Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – to buy low-cost, fuel-efficient stoves.

Other measures needed to target the reduction of charcoal production include solar cookers, tree-planting on farms and the widespread use of fuel-efficient stoves, UNEP said in a news release.

Further cause for concern to the agency is the signing of land deals by many gorilla range States with foreign companies for agriculture, including bio-fuel production.

There is a certain irony in that last sentence. The much-lauded production of biofuel is actually creating its own environmental hazard.

Former Virunga Park Officials In Prison

And these particular guys deserve it.

Four senior Wildlife Officers have been arrested and imprisoned after the state Congolese Wildlife Agency (ICCN) pressed charges for complicity in the destruction of the protected forests of Virunga National Park in the east of DR Congo. The imprisonment of the Rangers comes after a lengthy trial in the North Kivu province courts initiated after the July 2007 massacre of 5 mountain gorillas that was met with outrage around the globe.

Not guilty of gorilla killings - guilty of illegal charcoaling
The Wildlife Officers were charged by the Congolese Wildlife Authority with the "destruction of flora and fauna" under Wildlife Law OL 069-41 of August 1969. The charges included the massacre of the gorillas and involvement in the illegal charcoal trade. The officers were not found guilty of the gorilla massacre due to a lack of evidence, but were fined $5,000 and sentenced to 6 months in prison for involvement in the illegal charcoal trade that allegedly earned them up to $15,000 per month. The officers have been suspended from ICCN pending closure of their file.

"The convictions are a crucial and difficult step in our efforts to rebuild Congo's National Parks," said Virunga National Park Director Emmanuel de Merode. "They also reflect a firm commitment on the part of Congolese institutions to tackle corruption and the illegal exploitation of natural resources in Congo, the root cause of 12 years of civil war."

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Supports Congo Communities

I strongly support conservation organizations that work with and support surrounding human communities. These communities are integral to protection of the environment and its animal inhabitants. It's important to understand that environmental degradation is often tied to poor people simply trying to survive. Treating them as villains only creates enemies and alienates them. It's the local people who are the strongest advocates and most effective guardians of these wild areas. They are also the most logical.

Here's an example...the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund "Coins for Congo" program. These guys are a great group and I've been a member for several years. The mountain gorillas have a special place in my heart (awwwwww!)

Things Continue to Look Up for Mountain Gorillas

Not only are there new babies in Virunga, but also the arrest of the Congolese rebel leader General Nkunda has brought some peace to the area.

The Rangers in Virunga can continue their daily routines of removing poachers snares (536 snares were found during the recent census taking), filming newborn gorillas and simply enjoying the results of their tremendous sacrifices to protect the gorillas. Over 150 rangers have been killed on duty in this park in the past decade. Many worked for years without receiving a salary.

And did you know...

Rangers are able to identify individual gorillas because each animal's nose is uniquely patterned. We have finger prints, gorillas have nose prints.

Extraordinary Growth in Mountain Gorilla Population

Surprisingly, the mountain gorillas have prospered under the rule of the Congo rebels. In contrast, the 2007 murders of 10 gorillas occurred under the Congolese government's control.

The population—made famous by a series of murders in 2007—has grown by nearly 13 percent in the last 16 months, despite having no protection from civil war or poaching for 15 months, park rangers said Monday.

"That the mountain gorilla population has increased in this environment is quite spectacular," said Emmanuel de Merode, head of the 680-strong Virunga ranger force.

The new tally brings the Virunga mountain gorillas to an estimated 211—including 10 babies born during the rangers' absence.

Mountain Gorilla Ranger Slain in the Congo

Protecting mountain gorillas in the Congo is dangerous work. Just last week, a 33-year-old ranger was killed by Mai Mai rebels.

Mai Mai rebels are described as community-based militia groups frequently involved in banditry. Another ranger was wounded in the attack and a rebel was captured. That arrest has resulted in several leads in the investigation.

"The Mai Mai are seeking to wear down the rangers because they don't want the park to exist. They want to cultivate and poach in the park," said Samantha Newport, communications director for the refuge.

The ranger's name was Safari Kakule, and he was called "exceptional." Here is a brief Youtube video of him. He left a wife and three children.

Sydney Morning Herald Spotlights Mountain Gorillas

Good long article in the Sydney Morning Herald about the mountain gorillas in Virunga.

Silverback Gorillas in Virunga

Cool. See silverback gorillas stalking each other in Virunga.

So Far, Mountain Gorilla Deaths Only from Natural Causes

Pretty amazing that the 7 mountain gorilla deaths recorded thus far in Virunga have all been due to natural causes. Remember that Virunga National Park has been under Congolese rebel control since 2007 and the park rangers have only just been allowed back in.

Two of the deaths were newborns killed by a silverback. The rest were adults that died from illness or age.

Five Baby Mountain Gorillas Found at Start of Congo Census

Now, don't get too excited, because this is not an indication of how the Virunga population is doing as a whole. BUT, the rangers are shocked because these five babies were all born and survived during the war period.

Things are not all peaceful yet either.

Despite a ceasefire in the months-long fighting, tracer from a heavy machine gun streaked across the sky close to the rangers headquarters late Thursday. Answering gunfire rattled up from the valley, in what a ranger said was a clash between the CNDP and the Rwandan Hutu rebels based in the park.

Here's a video of the gorillas and the babies (be patient, it tends to start and stop).

Search Begins for Mountain Gorillas

Now that the rangers have been allowed back into Virunga, they are going to conduct a census to determine what's happened to the mountain gorillas living there. They have been out of contact since September 2007.

Mr {Emmanuel} de Merode and the 650 Virunga rangers have been forced to rely on second-hand reports from amateurs who paid their way into Mikeno where General Nkunda has been using some former rangers who defected to the CNDP.

Spirits are now high at Rumangabo. Within the last few days the Belgian conservationist led a posse of rangers back to their former patrol post at Bukima, inside the Mikeno sector of the park. Outside, Mr Mwanake is talking to Innocent Nburanumwe, another veteran ranger. They remain fretful over the situation and aware that the crisis could take another turn for the worst. "When there is a war there is no certainty, no security. We are not sure when we go to sleep if we will wake up in the morning."

Another nagging worry remains: the gorillas simply won't be there any more. Mr De Merode is refusing to think that way. Over the next month he and his staff will conduct a census of the mountain gorillas, hoping to find the population of roughly 200 unaffected by the tempest that has raged around them in the past 18 months. He says: "We've not had reports of any gorilla killings. It's incredibly exciting and any day now we're expecting good news."

Rangers Return to Virunga

The gorilla rangers have returned to Virunga after more than a year's exile. You can see how happy they are in this video.

Gorilla Rangers Return to Virunga

Yay!

More than 120 Park Rangers of the Congolese Wildlife Authority, ICCN, today returned to Virunga National Park - 14 months after fleeing violent hostilities between rebels and government soldiers.

The Gorilla Sector of Virunga National Park is inhabited by 200 of the last remaining 700 critically endangered mountain gorillas in the world. Since September 2007, it has been occupied by rebels who had driven the rangers out.

"It is a huge step that all sides have agreed that the protection of Virunga as a World Heritage Site and its mountain gorillas is of sufficient priority to transcend political differences," said Virunga Park Director Emmanuel de Merode.

Now it's time to assess the damage.

Progress in the Congo? Relief for Virunga?

I hope so. We've got to get the gorilla rangers back into Virunga.

According to the AP...

The U.N. Security Council agreed Thursday to send 3,100 more peacekeeping troops to Congo, while rebels said they remained committed to a pullback from the front lines despite an army attack.

There are currently 17,000 peacekeepers in the vast Central African nation — the world's largest U.N. peacekeeping mission — but they have been unable to stop the fighting.

The rebels are pulling back from the front lines.

Rebels in Congo pulled hundreds of fighters back from several front-line positions as promised on Wednesday in what the U.N. said was a welcome step toward brokering peace in the volatile nation.