As covid19 is not only affecting people but also the protection
of endangered Mountain gorillas in Congo when rebel militia attacked the park
and killed 12 rangers protecting Mountain Gorillas in the Virunga national park
in Democratic Republic of Congo. All visits were suspended due to Corona virus
and these rebels are taking advantage of the situation. This is affecting gorilla safaris in the region. Even
other parks should be on the look out to protect all national parks to top
poaching that may come up as result of covid19 lockdowns.
The park in eastern DRC,
home to critically
endangered mountain gorillas as well as
hundreds of other rare species, has faced repeated incursions and attacks by
local armed groups.
About 60 fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation
of Rwanda, a Hutu rebel group, ambushed a convoy of civilians that was being
protected by 15 rangers, said Cosma Wilungula, the director of the Congolese
Institute for Nature Conservation. Many others were seriously injured, he said.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Virunga park of the
incident or casualties.
The park has been repeatedly hit by violence. It was shut to
tourists for eight months in 2018 after a series of attacks on staff but
reopened after a thorough review of security precautions and reinforcement of
the 700 rangers deployed to keep animals and visitors safe.
The park, in North Kivu province, has a reputation as one of the
most dangerous conservation projects in the world. It faces multiple security
threats including illegal charcoal production, smuggling and poaching, as well
as from the Mai Mai militia.
Founded in 1925 by Belgian colonial authorities, the park
struggled in the immediate aftermath of the country’s independence in 1960 but
flourished under President Mobutu Sese Seko, who took power in 1965.
The park suffered further during the civil war that followed
Mobutu’s chaotic fall in 1997. Virunga’s mountain gorilla population declined
to 300. It has since risen to more than 1,000, and the numbers of other animals
such as forest elephants are also rising.
In 2007 a partnership was
established between charities funded by private donors, the EU and the
Congolese wildlife service. Emmanuel De Merode took charge and implemented a
wide-ranging overhaul.
The rangers, who are recruited from nearby villages, are paid a
monthly salary of $250, a sizeable sum for them. Initiatives have focused on
nearby communities, with micro-loans and hydroelectric power projects to boost
the local economy.
All visits to Virunga were suspended last month to protect the
gorillas from infection by the coronavirus. This may affect other gorilla safaris to say Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. All thees 3 national parks share same massif in the Great Lakes Region.
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