Aug 05 2007
The Future of this Blog
I feel I need to explain where we hope to go with this blog.
I can honestly say that the blog has had a big influence on our lives in Virunga, and I feel that this will only increase. The blog has made many people aware of the difficulties and the challenges that we face, and has brought us many friends from around the world. The blog has also been instrumental in helping us to face the many crises that we have had to struggle with this year. When the situation became very difficult, as it has in the last couple of weeks, many, many people offered their support. We have raised over $50,000 in donations for the emergency response to the gorilla killings, which is phenomenal, and changes everything with respect to our chances of protecting the 100 or so gorillas that remain. But the support that we have received is even more than the money that has been given to us. It is the knowledge that we are not alone in this effort to protect the gorillas.
This blog began as an individual exercise, that I initiated in January with the help of the WildlifeDirect team, but it gradually evolved into a wonderful team effort, involving a large number of people with one thing in common: a devotion to the protection of Mountain Gorillas. So my team in the Gorilla Sector has become involved, with posts from Augustin, and lots of input from the others, and the WildlifeDirect team have posted on it as well. In recent months, a growing number of people from all over the world have joined our effort. So we would hope that you, wherever you are, whatever you do, would become an active participant in the effort to protect the mountain gorillas. A big part of the struggle is public awareness. If you have ideas on how to build this up, do please post comments on the blogs, or write to gorillacampaign@wildlifedirect.org. With your permission, we will write some of them up as posts on this blog because they are an inspiration to us and to others. This is an example of the kind of incredibly positive comments that people have posted:
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.
We’ve also had offers of support from lawyers, web company managers, athletes, teachers, etc. all of which have a huge amount of advice and experience that we could learn from. Saving Virunga’s gorillas can only succeed if it becomes a worldwide effort.
So, what now?
I will be working from the Northern Sector of Virunga for a few months. Norbert Mushenzi, an old friend and colleague, will be warden in charge of the Southern Sector where the Mountain Gorillas are. Norbert is probably the most experienced of all wardens in Congo, and the gorillas will be in excellent hands during that period. He will be participating actively in this blog. So will the Mountain Gorilla team, Augustin who runs the Bukima Patrol Post, Innocent who is head of gorilla monitoring, Didi who is responsible for tourism, and others. We would all love it if we could also include input from you into this blog - the efforts of people around the world who are now playing such an active role in protecting the gorillas in Congo. This blog is about gorilla protection and your efforts, as part of our team, are now a big part of it.
Technorati : Gorilla Protection, WildlifeDirect
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
Thanks for the update! It sounds like there are so many people supporting your efforts which is exciting….I hope UNESCO and IGCP are now there helping you guys like they should be…I am also a supporter of WWF so they should be helping out! Good Luck Paulin! Besides spreading what is happening by word of mouth I need to figure a better way to get the word out!
Hey Paulin, are you transferring to the northern sector because you’re required to report to a tribunal every week? Do you have any idea how long this will go on? I hope you’re family will be nearby and I hope this ridiculous business with your arrest ends soon - and favorably.
Thanks for updating us about the changes. I hope you’ll be able to post now and then to let us know how you’re doing in the northern sector.
s.
Congratulations and well done! This is a great model for conservation and issues that require global awareness. I would like to know what are the big international conservation NGOs that are funding you. In the past week I have received several appeal campaigns from different conservation organizations asking for money to help respond to this situation and using this crisis as their flag. Who is actually providing funds to your work on the ground and at what levels?
Thank you to you and your fellow rangers for protecting the gorillas. I hope that you too are protected.
[…] blogs of my colleagues and follow the tragic news from down South in Bukima. I also see that it is now official; Paulin will be working here in the North for a while, with Mushenzi going down to the South. I […]
I saw the gorillas in Rwanda in 2005 and it was one of the most remarkable days in my life. I watched them for an hour, in awe, seeing in them a very close link in the chain of life that binds us to all life on the planet. That people could murder these animals is inconceivable, but horribly true. I have made a donation to support your work. Thank you.
Happy to be an artist creating art for critters.
My prayers for all of you, and everyone concerned…for the gorillas.
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