Latest news

Patrols increased after gorilla killings: suspect arrested - 03/08/2007

Following the recent shootings of three female and one male silverback mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), two suspects have been identified as being involved in their killings. One has been arrested and is assisting the authorities, but the other is still to be found. Both were seen early on Monday 23rd July at the scene where the gorillas were shot. The central government is conducting an investigation and is helping to assure local communities of a real commitment to involve them in managing the park. Patrols to protect the mountain gorillas have been increased.

The gorillas were members of a group known as Rugendo. One of the surviving members of the group, the 5-month old baby Ndezi (whose mother Safari was killed), is in quarantine and being cared for by the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in Goma. The infant is still too young to survive alone in the wild.

The Mikeno Sector - part of the south-eastern section of Virunga National Park and the only home to the endangered mountain gorilla in the DRC - has been hit by a wave of insecurity that has seen the killings of three silverback and four female gorillas in the past seven months. A female and her infant are still missing.

An emergency discussion was held on July 27th with the DRC’s wildlife and protected areas authority (the ICCN), and key partners in the region. The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) – a coalition of the Fauna & Flora International, African Wildlife Foundation and the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the protected area authorities in DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda – joined the meeting to agree an emergency plan:

• Deploy the ‘Force Avancée’: 33 ICCN rangers who have been specifically trained to protect the park in such situations;
• Provide support to the rangers, including logistics, patrol posts, training, field equipment and rations;
• Secure high-level political support within DRC to improve dialogue with local communities about conservation of the park and the gorillas, given the complex socio-political context;
• Collaborate closely with the new Chief Warden of ICCN, following the removal and redeployment of the former warden, to ensure coordinated delivery of support into the region to the gorillas, their habitat, and the surrounding communities.

IGCP is now acting on this plan, focusing immediately on: providing technical and financial support to ICCN rangers; improving dialogue with local communities together with the local authorities, strengthening programmes to resolve conflict between people and wildlife (i.e., reinforcing a wall that prevents animals from damaging community crops), and working with ICCN and all involved groups to ensure tourism revenue is shared with local communities as in Uganda and Rwanda. For the moment, the security situation in the region is calm, and IGCP and its partners are supporting ICCN in its efforts to resolve the situation without further violence.

Your support for the urgent delivery of the emergency plan is greatly appreciated; please donate now and give what you can.

• £10,000 would pay for a month of patrols by four Mikeno Sector ranger teams
• £15,000 would construct a ranger outpost strong enough to withstand attack, with amenities and radio communications

> Back to top