Jul 30 2007
Welcome to all New Visitors -Please Help Spread the Word
Welcome to all the new visitors who have come to this blog after reading about the massacre in online and offline newspapers across the world. This kind of global attention is very important if we are to succeed in stopping the spate of killings, and we thank you for your support. A big thank you also to Newsweek for featuring the crisis, the story made it to the front cover of this week’s edition.
“According to local human-rights workers and renowned paleontologist Richard Leakey, among others, a corrupt mafia of charcoal merchants has recently begun harvesting Virunga’s forests to fuel a $30 million-a-year industry. “These are their oil wells,” Leakey says of Virunga’s trees. If unchecked, the loggers’ activities could decimate the gorilla habitat in a few years….”
Thank you also to National Geographic for closely following the story, as well as everyone else who has featured this story either on their blogs, or emailed their friends. All the support that the rangers get on the ground, no matter how big or small, is absolutely crucial in these coming weeks.
We need to spread the word as much as possible and urge you to write to gorillacampaign@wildlifedirect.org. Virginia from WildlifeDirect will then send you an email to forward to all your family, friends and work colleagues, which will help raise the profile of this massacre.
Of course your donations are also terribly important, so please dig deep into your pockets and donate directly to helping those rangers protecting the gorillas. You can make your donation in the box on the right hand side of this blog. All payments are secure, through Paypal, and you can donate either specific items for the rangers, make a one off donation, or sign up to make monthly donations and continue to support the rangers through what will be a challenging time.
If you are already on Facebook you can add the ’causes application’ and then join the Gorilla Protection cause. With this application you can tell all your friends as well as fundraise for the rangers through Facebook.
Thank you once again for all of your support.
The WildlifeDirect Team
Daily news from the conservation frontline by Innocent and Diddy, and other Congolese rangers risking their lives to save mountain gorillas of the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
I just wanted all to know I work at a very large company and I am now setting up a donation box to help fund these great rangers. Paulin I am spreading the word on the plight of these wonderful gorillas that you so desperatly are trying to protect. If I could send a whole army I would. Blessed Be…Stephanie…Oklahoma
Nice work, Stephanie! I can’t set up a donation box, but I’ve printed color copies of the e-mail I got from Virginia and posted them around the office. Then, I distilled the document into a PDF and posted it - with links - to the company BBS.
s.
I tried to send email to “gorillaprotection@wildlifedirect.org” and the mail was returned as failed mail? Can you please post the correct email address? Thanks.
TO: Paulin … I pray for you and your rangers every day .. May God bless and protect you, your rangers and his gorillas.
Hi Jim G.,
It’s gorillacampaign@wildlifedirect.org.
s.
This heartbreaking story has just appeared in the British press. My donation seems to have gone through OK, and I’ll spread the word as far as I can.
Yes, thanks sheryl, you’re quite right it’s gorillacampaign@wildlifedirect.org. Typing error, we’ve corrected it. Thanks for pointing it out Jim
I just got an e-mail update from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International about Ndeze. You can read the press release and see pictures of Ndeze here: http://gorillafund.org/about/press_item.php?recordID=54
The report says she’s “recovering” and that DFGFI is helping to fund new park guards.
s.
I was just going to do that also sheryl. Doesnt Ndeze look good. A spark of good hope…steph
Oops, looks like I got Ndeze’s gender wrong, Steph. Ndeze’s a ‘he,’ it seems, and really beautiful.
s.
Keep up the good work. The world needs people like you.
Hey y’all, Dr. Spelman has updated her blog with a detailed account of Ndasaki’s recovery. She’ll update with news of Ndeze soon. http://discovery.blogs.com/quest/
s.
Paulin,
just a short note to wish you good luck and that i hope you got the copy of my letter that i sent to you thru email, listing the recipients
of my letter campaign.
i’ve received some response, so at least some people have read it.
i’ve felt helpless that i couldn’t do anything really valuable for your group, but i may have had a small impact - at least on a couple of people who have read the letter.
i got some feedback.
take care-
in case no one has seen this article yet -
the cover of the Newsweek August 6 2007 issue has the Virunga Gorilla story as it’s cover. here’s a link i found showing the cover-
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070729/nysu005.html?.v=92
or
biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070729/nysu005.html?.v=92
Perhapes I have missed something but the article in Newsweek said that Paulin had been arrested for allowing the gorillas to be killed. What is happening about getting him released?
What arrested????? No way….Ann any help is better than no help no matter how minute you may think…This is what I have learned….steph
yes, i read too that Paulin had been arrested, but i get the feeling that he is not currently under arrest, that it was a ruse of some kind? at least i hope that is the case….maybe someone at WildlifeDirect can give us some current information, if any of them has the time?
I WONDER PERHAPS THE FAMILY SHOULD BE RELOCATED FOR A WHILE — IS THAT POSSIBLE — SINCE THEY SEEM TO PICK ON THIS ONE FAMILY — PAULIN IS THIS A POSSIBILITY?i WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT THE REST OF THE FAMILY — THEY ARE NOW ALMOST WIPED OUT — THIS GROUP IS ANYWAY — SEEMS SO UNFAIR AND SAD!!!
hugely distressing. i visited the gorillas in the then called Zaire back in 1991, and follow their progress very closely. I will make a special effort in january to go back and get my hands dirty. Please, please, please everyone, do whatever you can to help these immense but docile creatures. we owe it to them. HUMANITY owes it to them.
Can anyone out there tell us all if Paulin is okay? Been reading stuff and I beleive he is out in the field and cant respond, but can anyone else let us know he and his rangers are okay?? I am just concerned as probably alot of us are….steph
Hey, I got a note a bit ago from one of the Wildlife Direct team and Paulin is fine. He was held for two days and released. That’s all I know.
s.
Thank you Sheryl…I was worried as I am sure others were too…Steph
Here’s another feature about the massacre, featuring Paulin: http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/?page=editorial&id=74&catID=4
s.
I’m new to reading about this terrible plight, but I made a donation and sent an e-mail out to all the friends I could with pictures asking them to help if they can. I was thinking I might have a bunch of friends over for dinner to raise awareness and donate… Every bit counts. I just went to the San Diego zoo and watched the Gorilla’s for almost an hour two days before the newsweek article hit the stands and it caught my attention immediately. I will stay informed and continue to do all I can. My prayers go to everyone that is putting themselves at risk to help!!
I too work for a non-profit here in the US where we are working for the plight of the red knot and the horseshoe crabs who have dwindled in number over the years. The gorillas are so wonderful and the article I picked up in Newsweek made me remember the importance of also helping abroad. I sent off a donation and will also alert my other animal rights activists and environmentalists to this plight. To the rangers…your work is so noble and I thank you so much for doing all you can for our brother gorillas.
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