Gearing up 4 Gorillas

A true sight for sore eyes - Emmanuel and Innocent find gentle silverback Humba after an hour or so tracking.

He’s busily eating and wondering what all the fuss is about……

At last, after 14 mths, at least the Humba group appears to be safe and well.

Emmanuel talking to the rangers on their return to Rumangabo.

Now the work to find all the gorillas begins…more news as we get it.

Many thanks to all those who have made donations to keep the rangers and their families safe and together through this crisis. You really have made a real difference to these guys and their families. Apart from the practicalities, they know that people from far away have sent donations to help them get through this - and they are very grateful.

All is not over yet and the rangers will have also lost much of their former equipment they had been using, before the conflict escalated.

This return to duty throughout the Mikeno sector is fabulous news! Good luck to them all during the coming days.

Linda

Chair and all at G4G

Emmanuel de Merode, Chief of Virunga, has led 120 rangers back up to Rumangabo main ranger station, after successful negotiations have allowed them back into the Park. But it gets even better - after 14 months of intense conflict, the rangers are also now able to, once more, go into the Mikeno gorilla sector itself. The smiley faces say it all.

The rangers have a wholly neutral stance in any conflict. Their only purpose in being there, is to do their jobs and protect the gorillas and other wildlife of the National Park.

After the first trek today, the Humba gorilla group was found and we think, again, the photo says it all!

There is much work to be done and much support still needed. With your help, G4G can continue apace to provide vehicles, equipment and funds to these dedicated rangers.

What a wonderful day for conservation! Fingers crossed whilst they begin to track and find the other gorilla groups…..

See following photos…and go to www.gorilla.cd to watch videos of the rangers returning to their station.

Drivers Serge and Safari spent 4 very difficult days under heavy artillery fire at Rwindi ranger station, waiting for a gap in the fighting to get the rangers away. Eventually, rangers and families were able to get away to Goma with a UN escort. At last they are safe, even if very hungry and thirsty. Here they are loading up for the journey.

Well done Serge and Safari.

Little Mapima was seized in Goma by the Virunga National Park team. Unfortunately there’s another that’s been seen with a soldier. They are often taken as ‘pets’ - the rest of their family would almost certainly have been killed in the process. Mapima, however, in now with Faustin who has a remarkable way with chimps. He cared for Tongo a few months ago who had been living in a bag and eventually accompanied Tongo to JACK - a chimpanzee sanctuary in the south of DR Congo where wonderful work is being done for these orphaned chimps.

Mapima is now due to go there soon too. In the meantime, she and Faustin spend all day and night together. Four bottles of milk a day and lots of TLC…….

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your donations. These will be sent out to the Virunga National Park team to help in these chaotic, dangerous times.

Many of the rangers are not able, at this time, to thank you online, but believe us - you are helping to keep the rangers and their families warm, fed and with clean water.

If you would like to help - £1 goes an awful long way in DR Congo - either use the G4G donate button or go to  www.gorilla.cd

Linda

Chair, G4G

G4G has just learned that the Virunga National Park team are trying to evacuate 27 rangers and their families from Rwindi ranger station. This station is not in the gorilla sector but in the plains area of the Park, north west of the gorilla sector. Heavy fighting has meant the lorry drivers had to spend the night in UN trenches but the families are still out where the fighting is. They hope to be able to get them out to safety tomorrow. G4G’s first contact with Virunga was Jobogo Mirindi, who is the head ranger at Rwindi. We hope to hear that he & his fellow rangers are safe soon……

 Below is an update on the appeal to help the rangers and their families in Goma.

 If you would like to make a donation, go either directly to www.gorilla.cd or donate via our button on the right and G4G will transfer your donation….

Many thanks to all who have donated so far!

Thank you on behalf of all us in Virunga for the money you have donated since we launched our appeal on 28th October for $88,694. As I write we have reached $25,108 - and we have never raised this much money so fast before!

We need to raise $88,694.00 by Thursday 25 November - that is 3 weeks from today - that will cover 2 months of costs during this unprecedented crisis in Virunga, Congo’s Gorilla Park.

The monies are needed for the following:

$21,594.00 - Rations for 177 Refugee Gorilla Rangers
We have 177 Rangers who have been forced to evacuate their posts in Virunga National Park as a direct result of the fighting. Rations cost $2/day per Ranger and include beans, rice, manioc flour, tomato, sugar, salt, coffee and salted fish. So the $21,594.00 total is for 177 Rangers for 61 days.

$61,000.00 - Support for Ranger Families at Camp in Goma
At present we have nearly 1,000 (it was 670 when we launched this appeal) people at the camp in Goma that was initially set up on 8 October after the fighting started. These are the wives of Gorilla Rangers and the children of Gorilla Rangers. We are providing food, clean water, sanitation and basic medical. It costs about $1/day per person - and we need provisions for at least 2 months, ie 61 days, which gives us the $61,000 total.

$6,100.00 - Medical Supplies for the Rangers
We must also provide for medical supplies for the 177 Rangers. These medical supplies will include treatments for malaria, fever, and diarrhea. The cost of these supplies is $100/day for all the Rangers. 61 days at $100/day gives us the $6,100.00 total.

Thank you for your comments, awareness-raising, Internet links, donations and continued support. We could not do this without your help.

Emmanuel De Merode, Chief of Virunga National Park

Sad news from Norbert Mushenzi, deputy chief of Virunga NP:

Our ranger Louis Kabwana passed away in the early hours of the morning.  He had been ill shortly before the evacuation on 10th October.  We had taken him to the clinic in Goma, but providing adequate treatment has been incredibly difficult in recent weeks. He was carried by our rangers on his final journey, accompanied his family and by myself and the Director, and all the members of our refugee camp in Goma.  It was a simple, dignified occasion.

Louis Kabwana dedicated his whole life to the gorillas of Mikeno.  He joined the Park in 1971 as part of the team protecting the gorilla, and had worked there ever since.  He leaves a widow and 9 children.