Gearing up 4 Gorillas

We hope the new site gives you lots of information about Virunga, the mountain gorillas and rangers. There’s bound to be a few gliches here and there so please do let us know when you find some!

Gorilla.cd have been very kind in allowing the use of many photos and videos, as have the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project. Many thanks to them and all those who have contributed.

Explore the site and enjoy!! We hope you like it…..

Linda

Chair of G4G on behalf of the trustees

The UN Security Council has strongly backed the briquette programme in Virunga. The charcoal trade is not only destroying the habitat of the mountain gorilla at an alarmingly fast rate but the profits from it are going straight to the FDLR (Interahamwe), responsible for the Rwandan genocide. They hide out in the Virunga NP forests, are a great threat to the rangers and are profiting from the illegal trade in charcoal.  The UN Security Council have now formally recognised the part played by this rebel group and hopefully this will encourage international donors to back the briquette programme, as a serious alternative to charcoal. This is an extract from the report:

*The Group has gathered information on intense charcoal production controlled by FDLR in the Virunga National Park, along with other forms of exploitation of the Park’s resources. The Group is concerned about the continued presence of FDLR elements in the Park who obstruct the activities of the Institut congolais pour la conservation de la nature by perpetrating frequent attacks on its rangers during patrols to stop illegal charcoal-making activities. The Group has also received verified information that FDLR elements are collecting a charcoal tax imposed on civilians.

* The Group of Experts is encouraged by the Institute’s (ICCN) initiative to promote production of combustible briquettes as an alternative to charcoal. The Group considers this initiative as a way to significantly weaken FDLR financial support through the illegal exploitation of the National Park, while at the same time creating a development option for the population living in the Park. The Group encourages the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and international donors to ensure full support to this initiative.

The vets from MGVP think that Kidole was around 40 years old when she died. She had kidney disease, had lost patches of her coat and was thin from not eating for a couple of days.

The solitary silverback, Mareru, had stood guard over her body for hours.

Innocent and his rangers eventually managed to remove her body for examination by the vets and then burial at Rumangabo. She was laid to rest next to Safari, who was shot in 2007.

Kidole was with the Lulengo group when she died but she had led a varied life, moving between gorilla groups over the years.

Rest In Peace Kidole.

 A baby gorilla has been seized from animal traffickers by ICCN following a 3-month undercover investigation to bust an international wildlife smuggling ring. This operation was led by Emmanuel with the participation of a key group of Rangers and Pierre.

One suspected trafficker was caught and arrested at Goma International Airport on Sunday while disembarking from a flight from Walikale (in the interior of the country and close to gorilla habitat) with an eastern lowland gorilla (remember these animals are only found in DR Congo). The gorilla was found concealed under clothes at the bottom of a bag and was suffering from over-heating and dehydration after spending over 6 hours in transit.

The Gorilla Doctors have overseen her care so far. She has a puncture wound on her right leg and has sustained other injuries. Plus she is really weak, dehydrated, and malnourished. Dr Eddy has been tending to her and she is responding to treatment, which is the good news. These next few days are crucial however.

This is what Emmanuel said in a press release:

“Our work has revealed a significant upsurge in the trafficking of baby gorillas in recent months, possibly as a result of the war last year. Investigations have yet to reveal where these animals are being sent and who is buying them, but on the ground sources tell us that a baby gorilla can fetch up to $20,000,” said Emmanuel de Merode, Director of Virunga National Park. “We must remember that for each trafficked baby gorilla, several gorillas have probably been killed in the wild. If we want to preserve our gorillas - and other wildlife - significant resources must be invested to put a stop to these trafficking rings.”

Ranger Kambale Katambiriki was shot and killed yesterday by Mai Mai rebels.

He was 32 yrs old and leaves his wife, Kabuo Salambongo, and 7 children all under the age of 10. 

He worked from the Karuruma patrol post, in the northern sector of the Park.

The Mai Mai have consistently attacked Park rangers over the years, wanting to have Virunga National Park for themselves, to hunt and live as they wish.

He was buried yesterday too - there is no means of preserving bodies for funerals. His wife must somehow cope on her own.

The gorilla.cd site is taking donations to help his wife with funeral costs. Let us know if you’d like a donation to go to Kabuo and we will forward it.

Another senseless loss of a dedicated ranger, just doing his job. Another ranger has shrapnel wounds and is being treated in hospital.

Thanks to the generosity of The Murry Foundation in Bournemouth, Rumangabo primary school was inaugurated on Sunday 22nd March. 7 new classrooms have been built to the delight of the 600 children who attend the school, their teachers, parents and villagers.

The Provincial Environment Minister did the opening honours by cutting a tape across a classroom door. The Mwami Ndeze, leader of many hundreds of local communities, also attended and made the link between the wildlife of Virunga and the new school. Without the gorilla, elephant and buffalo of Virunga, the new building may never have happened.

Many of the children of the rangers based at Rumangabo HQ for Virunga attend the school. The children sang the national anthem whilst the rangers saluted and the ladies of the village sang and danced as the ceremony progressed.

Around 1,200 snares have been retrieved from the forest since November 2008 and these were burned at the ceremony. You can see Emmanuel de Merode and the Mwami Ndeze here watching them burn.

Linda from G4G also made the journey to Rumangabo, taking some ‘hello’ letters from Cranborne Middle School in Dorset. The children of both schools are exchanging letters and pictures.  Hopefully there will be many penpal friendships developing over the coming months!

This was such a wonderful,  joyous occasion after the troubles and dangers of last years fighting. Hundreds of happy faces - long may it continue….

The three confiscated chimpanzee youngsters have safely arrived at the sanctuary J.A.C.K.

Thierry can be seen here trying to get them used to the crates they have to travel in. Earlier, Mavivi and Udongo stuck like glue to Thierry whilst Etaito plays happily in the background.

Thanks to PASA (Pan African Sanctuary Alliance) faustin will be staying at JACK for a while to help them settle in and to help out at J.A.C.K. who are woefully under resourced.

Huge thanks and much luck to everyone who have pulled together for the sake of these chimps. They are the lucky ones…..many more have - and will - suffer the fate of little Maiko.

Little Maiko died a few hours after yesterdays post. The vets had got his temperature back to normal but the dehydration and malnutrition was too much for him.

The other three chimps are being got ready for the trip to JACK, the chimpanzee sanctuary, where they will receive the care they need.

Maikos family would have been slaughtered so that he could be sold as a pet, and now he is dead too. Such an utterly pointless waste of life - and such suffering too.

Vets will now do an autopsy to determine exactly what caused his death.

The Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) rangers have confiscated four chimps recently - all from different areas. They are now all in Goma being cared for. Three are doing well but Maiko is very, very ill and he may not make it.

Preparations are being made to fly them to the chimp sanctuary JACK further south. There are already 19 chimps being cared for there and JACK is badly under resourced. If you feel you can help, please donate via www.jack.wildlifedirect.org    Little Maiko, below, is getting all the help the vets can give him…..

The 1st three classrooms of the new school at Rumangabo is nearing completion.

The funds are being provided by the Adam Murry Foundation here in Bournemouth.

The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), gorilla.cd, French charity Soderu, G4G and the Murry Foundation have all worked together to enable this wonderful new school to be built. The timing is pretty good too, as the old school finally collapsed from the vibration of tankfire back in October….

Both teachers and children alike are eagerly waiting for the school to be finished.