Jul 07 2008
Video: CBS African Gorillas In Peril
Last night, CBS re-broadcast the 60 Minutes about the Virunga gorillas. In case you missed it, you can watch in online here.
You may remember that Anderson Cooper came to Virunga last October to interview us for the show.
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
Here’s hoping a lot more people saw Anderson’s report and that they’ll show up here looking for ways to help.
I want to remind you about the letter writing campaign to the U.S. Congress. We’re urging Congress to put pressure on Rwandan President Kagame to end relations, and funding, with Laurent Nkunda.
You can find a sample letter written by Robin Andreae and information on how to contact your representatives on my blog. Just click my name above and go to the “Wildlife Direct” tab at the top of the page.
http://nothoney.wordpress.com/wildlife-direct-lobby/
Thanks,
s.
MSNBC is running an Anderson Cooper 360 ad that briefly shows Dr. Eddy holding one of the Goma orphans. I can’t tell if it’s Ndaksi or Ndeze. I’ve seen the ad at least 4 times this morning. Kinda cool! Lisa
What a horror. What else can be utilized by the African people to cook with instead of charcoal? There must be
something–alternative fuel like butane? We need to donate funds so that our children can see and enjoy the mountain gorillas too.
Hi jane H.,
We’re looking at sustainable alternatives to charcoal in the region and I don’t believe butane, with its special cylinders, would comply. Take a look at the Project Kadutu blog to learn about the fuel briquettes program. Virginia is working with Robert Williams of Boulder on teaching local women to make their own fuel briquettes from organic material and paper waste. Robert writes the Ending Charcoal blog here on Wildlife Direct.
Virginia is off to Rumangabo this week to install three presses and get the fuel briquettes program up and running there. Check her blog for updates on their progress.
s.
Sheryl, I sent my letters…………lets keep bugging these people!
What can I do to help? What is the best way to get involved with Wildlife Direct? I saw 60 minutes the other night and could not stop crying. We have to find a way to stop this cruelty in the Congo. Please let me know what is the best way to begin to learn more, take action and fight for change….
Welcome Caroline…….it is a very hard story to watch… I have seen it many times now and it still upsets me to see the Rugendo family in the condition they were found in last July…………write letters to your Congressmen, donate……..let others know………Sheryl and Lisa usually have other great ideas…..or maybe one of the staff of WD can let you know how to help! Thanks for caring!
Caroline, visit the Baraza blog and sign up to become a virtual volunteer. A lot of the bloggers here need some help maintaining their blogs and getting involved in social networking.
See my blog, which is always linked to my name above, for a sample letter we’re all sending to our Congressional leaders. It’s under the Wildlife Direct tab on my home page.
s.
Hi Caroline, Welcome! Writing letters to your local and state political representatives, as well as, to various media outlets is a really great start. This sounds like alot of work, but just reading the Gorilla Protection blog from the beginning, which I believe is January 07, will really educate you and give you a good sense of what these Rangers face to protect the mountain gorillas. Also, visit the Ending Charcoal blog where Robert (in Boulder, CO.) and Ephrem (in DRC) are working on sustainable composted briquettes to hopefully make a dent in the charcaol industry. Tell everyone you know, even if they won’t listen and last but not list, donate what you can, when you can. : ) Lisa
Hello Diddy, Innocent and Augustin! Just finished watching the 60 Minutes video and although it is a very sad story told by Anderson Cooper, I was happy to see you getting the recognition you deserve. Take care and keep safe, Iris.
I wrote an email to WWF, but not on this format. I received a reply from Joy. She instructed me to check this site so I could see alternatives for cooking which are being looked into
I have not yet been able to find what Joy was emailing about, but did find this site. My original email asked why the same types of solar powered cooking projects, prolific in the last months of 1999 (pre Y2K) were not looked into . With these solar ovens, NO fuel is necessary (other than the sun), they are simple and cheap to build and lightweight and portable.
(styrofoam, black plastic, aluminim or aluminum foil and a glass lid)
How about it — is solar power mentioned somewhere?
Judi