September 11, 2007
Fighting between rebel and government forces has been occurring recently in the southern section of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, home to an estimated 100 of the world’s 380 endangered mountain gorillas. Two guard stations were looted by rebel soldiers and the guards forced to evacuate, as were guards from a third station (Bukima). Guards remained at a fourth station (Rumangabo) although bomb blasts could be heard nearby, according to the park’s director and chief warden (for the southern sector) Norbert Mushenzi. As of Sept. 10, trackers were not able to enter the park, so today the status and locations of the gorillas are unknown, but the fighting seems to have calmed for the moment and the gorilla monitoring will swing back into action.
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International contributes to the expenses for a group of paramilitary trained guards, who are members of an advance force kept in readiness for emergency situations.They were deployed this summer to strengthen park security following the killing of six adult gorillas by unknown perpetrators. One of the areas of the current fighting is very close to where these gorillas were killed. In addition to the paramilitary trained guards, DFGFI is helping to support additional guards to monitor the habituated groups of gorillas (killing occurred in two of the habituated gorilla groups Rugendo and Kabirizi, two groups DFGFI has monitored for 6 years with their Ecosystem Health Program which prevents disease cross-transmission between people and gorillas).
The monitoring guards provided a census. The results, just presented by Mushenzi, the new Virunga Park South Warden, include the following: 73 gorillas identified, including 13 silverbacks, 7 blackbacks, 17 adult females, 5 sub-adult males, 3 sub-adult females, 15 juveniles, and 13 infants. In addition, during the new patrols a large number of traps were discovered and destroyed, and illegal charcoal production sites discovered and their furnaces destroyed. A conservation education program for the population around the park was also initiated, starting with a meeting between Warden Mushenzi and the traditional local leaders on August 18. The people who live around Virunga Park South are also suffering from a humanitarian crisis because of the insecurity. DFGFI is supporting Rumangabo Clinic, which serves 100,000 people and the families of the park guards. We are providing basic medical care and a nurse to help during this crisis. DFGFI has also provided emergency medical kits for the brave guards to carry into the National Park.
An estimated 380 mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Volcanoes mountain range that crosses the DRC and Rwanda with most located in Rwanda, home to DFGFI’s Karisoke Research Center.
