Sep 14 2007
Mapuwa family found alive and well
I have just spoken to Rwimo who told me that the Rangers have positively identified the 12 individuals in the Mapuwa family near the patrol post of Jomba. He said that all the individuals are fine and healthy and were seen today.
This is a picture of the Silverback Mapuwa taken at the end of August when Innocent and Diddy completed the census. You can tell it is Mapuwa because of the scar on his right nostril that he got during an interaction with another Silverback.
Rwimo also said that the Rugendo family - who are 5 - are out of the park and in the fields near Bikenge. But they have been seen by Rangers and are also doing well.
This is all the information I have right now but I hope to get more tomorrow about Mapuwa, Rugendo and the other families, and also what is going on with the security. Communication is still very bad.
Thank you everyone.
Norbert Mushenzi
Technorati : congo, drc, gorilla, iccn, mapuwa, ranger, virunga
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 am so happy and relieved I can’t believe it –
Sheryl your ideas and the info about the bill are great and I WILL be asking friends and family to contact their representatives!!!!
Thats great news Norbert! Just hope the rest are ok. How is the situation looking out there? Is there still fighting going on? thanks for the update!
Hello Dave. The fighting is not going on at the moment. There is a ceasefire, that is meant to hold until the weekend. The rebels still control part of the Gorilla Sector, while the army controls the other part. We are still very unsure as to what is going to happen and the gorillas meanwhile are still caught in the middle. Let’s hope for the best, but only time will tell.
Finally some good news!!! Although I know the situation is still so volatile, this is surely a good sign. Will keep my fingers crossed and keep praying that rangers and gorillas alike remain safe!!
thanks very much everyone at wildlifedirect for taking the time for this update. good news so far, but a long way to go, in time, for any real stability….
The Rugendo family will they be bothered for being in the villagers fields??? Or are the rangers going to be able to protect them there or will chase back into forest???
Thank goodness that so far it is good news. I have been praying like crazy for all of you. Thank you again for all your hardwork!! May God bless you and keep you safe (gorillas and rangers). Love you all.
Let out a whoop of joy when read the post!!!!
Thank you guys for the updates and your mega amazing work., you are all brilliant.
I know it’s still a mad, volatile situation, but so very good news so far.
Thank you Norbert for this really good news. I still hope that all other gorillas in the area are also in good condition and somehow away from both, the army and the rebels, because there is still danger in the form of some crazy maniac that can shoot them. Is very important that some kind of commpensation agreement could be immplemented with the local people of the corn fields where the Rugendo family is located now, in order that the gorillas can´t be harmed in any way. Thank you so much again for your work and my best whishes to the gorillas and you all.
Thanks, Norbert, for the good news. I hope soon we’ll know about the other families. I’m so glad y’all are there doing whatever you can for the gorillas.
s.
Such good news! I love this picture of them. A lot of people have been following this story, and it’s a relief that this time they have managed to evade another tragedy.
article: encroachment of refugees into Virunga:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200709140694.html
In addition to the better news from Norbert, and the legislative information I posted in the previous blog post, today I got the information about the baby gorilla I adopted with DFGFI! His name is Igihoze and he’s only 3 years old. You can see his photo on my blog.
s.
Thank you Norbert for the update! I’m so happy they are safe! Let’s pray that this situation is resolved soon and that the rangers, their families and the gorillas stay unharmed.
Great news so far….I hope the good news keeps coming in. Great job Sheryl with getting the email about the legislative information. And congrats about the baby gorilla.
Thanks, Gary!
Here’s some gruesome news from the WaPo about mass graves found in Congo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091401888.html
s.
Sorry, all. That really wasn’t an attempt to pee in your Wheaties, I was just searching WaPo and found that story.
s.
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!! I am so happy to hear this news! Look at those beautiful faces!!!!! I know that is a slightly older pic but they are so adorable! I am also so elated to hear that the Rugendo’s who have been through so much are doing ok…I continue to pray daily that none are hurt!
Great news. Thanks so much for the update. So far, so good.
Stay safe. Thoughts and prayers are with you.
Betty/Wash.
I’m very glad to hear it. Hope everything turns out okay for all the other families, too. Including all the ranger’s families, and I hope everything gets better soon. Good luck, and God bless.
Yay!!! Thank you to all the rangers, the work you do is so important and incredible. You are in our thoughts every day, and your work touches our hearts in more ways than we can express! We love those gorillas. =)
There is god, i can’t tell you how happy this makes me feel this morning. Keep up the good work, hope it all stays settled. Stay Safe
Hello,
I’m french and my name is Greg (sorry for my bad English). I have just read an article in newsweek about the massacre about the gorillas in july. I saw your blog address in this article.
I just want to say to you that now i will check your blogg every day. I’m very sad of the situation in the national park. Firstly I was thinking that the situation in Rwanda-RDC was better (I’m sad that the press don’t inform France and all the world of that situation) and secondly WHY are they KILLING the Gorillas??? How can we help to change that, WHY The government don’t do anything??
wicked news ,hope it all calms down ,peace kevin uk
Dr. Spelman has added a video of her team’s treament of Magayane’s snare wound on her blog: http://blogs.discovery.com/quest/
s.
Thanks for the link to the video Sheryl. It’s sad to see what the mountain gorillas have to deal with. Luckily there are many people out there watching over them. Sheryl you mention you have a blog…could you post a link to it please?
Oops, it’s supposed to be linked to my name but I typed it incorrectly. Try clicking on my name now.
s.
CRAP! Still not working. http://nothoney.wordpress.com
s.
Does anyone at Wildlife Dierct or anyone else know what the potential population could be for the mountain gorillas? I know we are at 700. What is the highest count ever taken? I’ve read that the population has grown even during the time of the civil war there. I guess may biggest question is can there ever be more than the 700 that there is now. Is there enough room for the population to grow with how much habitat that remains. Or is the best case scenario is keeping it at 700.
Well, I’m not speaking for Wildlife Direct but I know from my zoo volunteer work that population numbers are estimates only. For example, we say there are possibly 1,600 giant pandas in the wild, but no one really knows. That information is based on a Chinese survey conducted years ago. It’s extremely difficult to get an accurate census on animals that are scarce or that live in difficult-to-reach areas. Clouded leopards, for example, are so heavily poached that researchers measure the size of the population by how many pelts are for sale in black markets. Sadly, those numbers are down drastically in the past couple of years.
Just my .02. Wildlife Direct’s mileage may vary.
s.
En attentant des nouvelles j’ai commencé de construire une page en allemand parce-qu’il en Suisse il y a très peux d’informations sur le sujet des gorilles de montagne et aucun link sur wildlifedirect. Je viens de publier les pages quand ces bonnes nouvelles sont arrive. Espérons que des autres poursuives.
briggita, quelle est le URL de votre page?
Merci,
s.
Chère sheryl
c’est http://berggorillas.pro-ject-pool.ch
Tu serra la permière personne qui la visiterais. Si tu as des idees comment faire mieux je te pris de me le dire. C’est le “commencement”
briggita,
Je ne parle pas l’allemand, mais je t’aime les couleurs et les photos. C’est tres bon!
Aussi, je parle le francais tres mal.
s.
FYI, Wordpress is having issues with blogroll, tagclouds, and categories right now. Mine are mostly missing.
s.
[…] Thanks Brigitta - to you and your friends and family. Brigitta also sent fantastic photos of the Mapuwa family, who she visited in July 2007. This gorilla family was last seen mid-September, amid all the […]
[…] is the brother of Senkwekwe, the Silverback executed in July. Mapuwa and Ruzirabwoba are also his brothers. Humba was born into the Rugendo family and has been a […]
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