Word: virunga
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...report does point to one hopeful recovery: that of the iconic mountain gorilla in eastern Congo's Virunga National Park. Mountain-gorilla numbers rose from about 250 in the 1950s to some 380, thanks mostly to stepped-up ranger patrols that target poachers and loggers who cut down wood for charcoal. "It has been a success story, but it doesn't make them any less vulnerable," says Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park. "We're dealing with an unusual situation, where we have very low numbers in a single location. It's like having all your eggs...
...case of the mountain gorilla is unique, in part because Virunga is a highly visible flagship park that has no trouble getting money or attention. At the same time, conservationists say it may provide a lesson: De Merode and his team essentially decided to do everything themselves, relying on the park rangers rather than the government to go after the rebels threatening the apes. Given that government troops sometimes trade with rebels or take part in the mineral and charcoal trades, they could actually be part of the problem...
...report focuses on the iconic gorillas of eastern Congo. But researchers say the western gorillas, though greater in number, are dying at a much faster rate. That's because they don't attract nearly the attention that Virunga's mountain gorillas do and live in areas where poachers escape punishment easily. "The most critical challenge that we face in central Africa is undoubtedly a lack of law enforcement," says David Greer, coordinator of the African Great Apes Program at the World Wildlife Fund. "In no uncertain terms, it's the ubiquitous impunity in this region. Nobody is held accountable...
...southern section of Virunga where the gorillas reside is strategically important to the rebels; the area was also attacked in January, when rebels allegedly killed then ate two of the silverbacks - a shocking act since conservationists say that mountain gorillas are usually not eaten. A total of 10 gorillas are known to have been killed this year, including a female gorilla killed execution-style. Two gorillas are still missing...
...flared up again in the chaotic Democratic Republic of the Congo and the endangered mountain gorillas are in the crossfire. Only 700 mountain gorillas, the males known for their moonlit silver-haired backs, exist. More than half live in Virunga National Park, a conservation area in eastern Congo that stretches into bordering Uganda and Rwanda. But last weekend rebels loyal to the dissident Congolese general Laurent Nkunda, took over the last protected section of the gorilla habitat in the park, raising questions over the fate of this last known population of the great apes. "The rangers were forced to flee...