Category: Community, Humanitarian Situation, Mountain Gorillas, Threats | Date: Mar 26 2009 | By: Daniel

Today, I would like to feature another Year of the Gorilla project, this time for Mountain Gorillas. The project is a low-cost high-impact project benefiting the gorillas and their habitat as well as the local human population. The Gorilla Organisation runs it, and you will hear from them on this blog soon.

Fuel-efficient Stoves to reduce Firewood Harvesting in Mountain Gorilla Habitat

Trespassing into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) national parks to collect firewood and charcoal is destroying the forests and threatening the survival of the gorillas that inhabit them. The use of fuel-efficient stoves reduces firewood consumption by up to 70%, reducing the demand for fuel and therefore decreasing the local communities’ reliance on the forest resources. These stoves not only benefit the environment, but also reduce the cost of fuel, as less is required and produce less smoke than traditional stoves, improving the health of those within the household. 

Objectives: The overall objective of the project is to reduce reliance on the resources of the Virunga National Park through the production and distribution of fuel-efficient stoves in North Kivu Province, DRC. The specific objectives are:
- To produce and distribute a minimum of 1,000 fuel-efficient stoves.
- To improve health by reducing the volume of harmful smoke produced by stoves.
- To increase community awareness of the consequences of deforestation and the need to conserve DRC’s forests.

 Activities: The project began in January 2008 and is already having a very positive impact on the communities living around the Virunga National Park. A workshop where stoves will be produced has been installed on the main Goma - Bukavu road where communities lack electricity and therefore rely solely on charcoal and firewood, and by the end of the year 500 stoves will have been produced. These are being sold for $3 each, helping to generate a small profit, which is being reinvested in the project. Regular workshops are held to sensitise both the communities and the local authorities on the importance of using fuel-efficient stoves and the need for forest conservation. During 2009 the project is set to produce a further 500 - 1,000 stoves and will continue all sensitisation activities.

2009 Budget : $ 21,258 (£ 12,503)
This includes staff, office and travel expenses as well as the costs for tools, materials and workshops.

This is a sustainability project par excellence and benefits all sides: the gorillas and other animals of the forest, the forest itself and the local population. Speak of a win-win…Please donate for this great project!!

Tags: mountain gorilla, sustainability, Year of the Gorilla, YOG

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Category: Eastern Lowland Gorilla, Mountain Gorillas | Date: Mar 23 2009 | By: paula

Some hilarious photographs were taken in Rwanda suggesting that gorillas getting drunk on bamboo juice in Rwanda

The photographs were takne by Andy Rouse who belives that Kwitonda got drunk and then had a massive hang over afterwards. I’m not sure if gorillas can get drunk on bamboo juice but the pictures are pretty stunning.

Jane Goodall saving gorillas

Jane Goodall has launched a mobile phone recycling program at Melbourne Zoo, with two objectives: to recycle coltan and cut demand for coltan mining, and to raise funds to pay for extra park rangers to prevent gorilla poaching.

“So far we’ve collected 6037 phones, which is enormous,” said Melbourne Zoo primate keeper Andrea Edwards, who was in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year as a volunteer at a primate orphanage.

“We’ve already sponsored a park ranger in the Maiko national park in the north-eastern part of the country to patrol the area. If we’ve already paid one ranger’s wage in a few months, and this program is going national, I can only imagine what the zoos of Australia can achieve when they get together,” she said.

“We can hire more rangers, give them better equipment and make it safer for them and better for the animals. It’s real and it’s tangible and it’s very, very exciting.”

Eastern Lowland gorilla numbers have dropped by 70 per cent in the last five years due to disease and poaching for meat, part of Africa’s bush meat trade.

Roughly $2 is raised for each phone. Zoos Victoria’s partner in the scheme, Aussie Recycling, can also refurbish and resell phones that are less than five years old.

For our friends in Australia, phones can be dropped off at Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo or Healesville Sanctuary, or a free postage label can be downloaded at zoo.org.au.

Tags: coltan, drunk, gorillas, Jane Goodall, Kwitonda, Rwanda, wildlifedirect

7 responses so far

Category: Grauer's Gorillas, cross river Gorilla | Date: Mar 20 2009 | By: Daniel

Dear Friends,

This Gorilla Protection Blog is a collaboration between WildilfeDirect, the Gorilla Organisation, WCS, the GTZ (German Development), GRASP, CMS, WAZA, PASA and Born Free Foundation, as well as other organizations involved in gorilla conservation. The goal uniting these various organisations is to raise as many funds as possible for a selection of important gorilla field-conservation projects.

Gorillas and the forests they live in are under pressure from all sides. Most of the threats are manmade – hunting, habitat loss, mining and war – and some are natural – such as diseases like Ebola. A combination of these threats, if left unmitigated, is a recipe for extinction and will lead to the disappearance of any viable gorilla populations from the wild within only a few decades – less than a gorilla lifetime.

Time is not on our side. This is why the UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) have jointly declared 2009 the Year of the Gorilla. This global campaign raises awareness and educates the public about gorillas and their threatened status, while at the same time raising funds for tangible on-the-ground conservation work. The projects featured here with the kind support of Wildlife Direct have been approved by experts and are of high conservation value. By donating, you can help us ensure that our grandchildren still have the chance to see these awe-inspiring beings in the wild.

The Year of the Gorilla 2009 also supports the decision by the gorilla range states to give the gorillas better protection through a legally binding agreement concluded under CMS. What is needed now is swift and effective implementation of this promising new instrument, and the Year of the Gorilla is a first big step in this direction.

Please go to www.yog2009.org to find out more. And don’t forget to tell a friend!!

Tags: CMS, gorilla graueri, gorillas, GRASP, lowland gorilla, mountain gorilla, PASA, UNEP, WAZA, wildlifedirect, Year of Gorilla

One response so far

Category: Kabirizi Family, Press | Date: Mar 16 2009 | By: paula

Last year, after meeting the wonderful Nancy Abrahams, we were invite to recommend candidates for the Abrahams Foundation conservation awards. The Alexander Abraham Foundation based in the United States, recognizes people in defence of the natural resources of the DRC, in particular the natural parks which contain many rare and endangered species. It was a no brainer fur us, we nominated the men who had put their necks on the line and risked everything to save Virunga National Parks endangered mountain gorillas at a time when nobody else dared.

We nominated Paulin, who risked his life by exposing the link between the illegal charcoal trade, corruption and the gorilla killings. Paulin ultimately paid the price with his position in Virunga and now works in Salonga National Park.

We also nominated Innocent and Diddy, two rangers who represent so many other dedicated rangers, were also nominatd. Their diarise on WidlifeDirect  raised global awareness about the unfolding situation. Ending up on the BBC and appearing in numerous publications including the book Looking for Miza, Innocent and Diddy have come to symbolise the hope that we can all believe in.

Innocent and Diddy are the hero’s of this true story

Despite the fame, they have retained their personal dedication and continue to conserve wildlife in the Virunga National Park.  We congratulate Innocent, Diddy and Paulin for recognition well deserved.

It was such a big event that even Alan Doss of MONUC attended and made a speech.  He said that these people should be considered “heroes,” considering the various threats and daily violence they face to protect the parks and the territories of the country.

He compared their work to that of the United Nations Blue Helmets in the DRC “who give their all to protect thousands of civilians against acts of violence in the northeast of the country.”

Everyone at WildlifeDirect is very proud that our nominations were considered and that these three wonderful men and two others have received the reconition that they deserve.  We congratulate the team at ICCN in Virunga for these awards.

Tags: Abraham foundation, conservation, Diddy, gorillas, Innocent, Mountain Gorillas, prize, Virungas

6 responses so far

Category: Mountain Gorillas | Date: Mar 13 2009 | By: paula

The first ever animated film about mountain gorillas is about to be released it has just been announced  on the All Africa news website.

“Written in Luganda and titled Galiwango: Obulamu Bwe Kisodde, (The life of a Gorilla), the film aims to sensitise the public about the plight of mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the DRC and Uganda.

The film creater, US-based artiste Solomon Jagwe, relies on his skills and African roots to create a sombre but humour-filled animated film. His goal is to draw attention to the existence of this unique natural resource.

Galiwango is a tribute to Jagwe’s grandmother whom he says taught him how to tell stories as a young boy. “I remember sitting by her feet and listening intently as she recounted stories of Waguluddene, Wakayima and Wango.” he says.

Jagwe tells the story of the struggles and triumphs of the gorillas from a captured gorilla’s point of view. He weaves into the tale a human element of interaction with technology, war and humour.

Galiwango’s story begins in the thick tropical forests of the Virunga Mountains. Jagwe traces the gorilla’s journey after it is taken from Uganda and illegally sold to a research facility in an undisclosed Western country.

Years later, Galiwango’s journey comes full circle to Uganda.

A plane carrying equipment and a crate housing Galiwango, is shot down over the Virunga Mountains.

At the crash site Galiwango meets two other gorillas, Muwanguzi, an aging Silver Back and Lutalo, who carries a rifle. The rest of the story explores the dangers of living in a forest that is full of conflict and greed.

Close encounters with poachers and rebels drive the need by Galiwango and his friends to stay alert.

Jaggwe hopes that Ugandans can appreciate the rare gift they have in the mountain gorillas and fight against the possibility of their extinction”.

We can’t wait to see it!

Tags: , animated movie, CNDP, Congo, DR Congo, gorillas, ICCN, mountain gorilla, Virunga

One response so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Mar 12 2009 | By: paula

We at WildlifeDirect have raised concern about China’s role in the accelerating elephant killings across Africa hwic his driven by China’s insatiable demand for ivory. The Government of China claim that they have excellent controls and education programs at home, and deny that China is having the impact that so many of us fear, on elephants, trees, apes and other species in Africa.

Jane Goodall has vindicated us. This news article was just published on AFP on 10th March 2009.

Primatologist Goodall: China plundering Africa resources

WASHINGTON (AFP) — China’s thirst for natural resources including wood and minerals is leading to massive deforestation in Africa and the destruction of crucial wildlife habitat, world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has said.

The British scientist who revolutionized research with her studies of chimpanzees beginning in 1960 warned that Beijing is pressing governments in central Africa’s Congo basin to sign over forest concessions in return for infrastructure and healthcare aid.

She said the process is helping decimate some of the largest populations of wild chimpanzees and gorillas in the world.

“These areas containing unlogged forests are very desirable to, particularly today, China, with China’s desperate effort for economic growth,” she told a Capitol Hill briefing attended by House of Representatives science and technology committee chairman Bart Gordon.

“Basically, they have almost exhausted their own supplies (of wood and minerals) so they go to Africa and offer large amounts of money or offer to build roads or make dams, in return for forest concessions or rights to minerals and oil,” Goodall, 74, said.

“I’m actually hoping (China’s growth rate) will be slowed a little bit by this economic crisis” in order to stem the deforestation, she said.

Goodall said the Chinese “have many enterprises in Congo-Brazzaville, and they’re certainly in DRC,” the Democratic Republic of Congo, two countries where deforestation and human encroachment have decimated wild primate populations despite efforts by the Jane Goodall Institute and other groups to reverse the trend.

“Their habitat is disappearing,” said Goodall, considered one of the 20th century’s leading scientists for her work with chimpanzees in what is now Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

She said it was crucial to work more closely with national and local governments in order to expand community-based conservation projects as a way to “offset offers from China.”

She also blamed the rampant bushmeat trade for helping devastate primate populations.

The trade is facilitated by foreign logging concerns building roads into once-inaccessible forested areas, and in some cases allowing hunters to ride in and out of the region on logging trucks.

Goodall’s institute is focused in part on expanding chimpanzee habitat in Gombe and working with local villages to rehabilitate denuded land and help create green corridors between Gombe and other areas with chimpanzees within the vast Congo basin.

The softspoken Goodall began her briefing in dramatic fashion, by imitating the wild call of a chimpanzee.

It could be interpreted as a cry for help — both for the primates and for the organizations working to protect them — as Goodall acknowledged that the conservation efforts could suffer a crippling blow over the next year and beyond due to the global financial crisis.

She told AFP that the downturn has made it more difficult to raise money for her work and for local governments to conduct or enforce conservation initiatives.

Tags: China, Congo, DR Congo, Elephants, great apes, illegal trade, ivory, Jane Goodall, wildlifedirect

3 responses so far

Category: Rangers | Date: Mar 09 2009 | By: paula

Dear friends,

As part of our contribution to the Year of the Gorilla, we are helping GRASP (the Great Ape Survival Project) to raise funds for a number of field based gorilla projects in Africa.

First off is the Cross River gorilla, Gorilla gorilla diehli, there are fewer than 300 of these gentle animals left in the world. They occur in Nigeria and Cameroon, in about 11 distinct forest sites across a 12,000km² landscape.  Seven of these sites fall within the boundaries of Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries or Forest Reserves, affording them some level of protection.

Cross River National Park - Okwangwo Division (950 km²)

Afi River Forest Reserve: 383 km²
Afi River Mountain Sanctuary with about 20–40 individuals

Takamanda National Park: 676 km²

Mone Forest Reserve: 538 km²

Our goal is to provide support for the 100 or so gorillas in the remaining four sites outside of the protected areas through community-based conservation initiatives.

Support Gorilla Guardians

This includes the creation of and support to Nigeria’s first community managed Wildlife Sanctuary in the Mbe Mountains. This will involve the establishment of a gorilla guardian monitoring network with 8 local communities in the Mowambi and Mbulu-Mone forest areas.

In the most vulnerable Cross River gorilla sites in Cameroon we will also support a combined conservation and rural development approach being promoted in the Bechati-Fossimondi area.

The total Funding needed: €98,000 (US $ 123,000)

Salary support for eco-guards (Mbe Mountains) - €18,000 (US 20,000)

Training for eco-guards (Mbe Mountains) - €10,000 (US$ 12,500)

Develop alternative livelihoods for hunters (Mbe Mountains) - €10,000 (US$ 12,500)

Gorilla Guardian training (Mowambi & Mbulu-Mone) - €10,000 (US$ 12,500)

Gorilla guardian monitoring support (Mowambi & Mbulu-Mone) - €30,000 (US$ 37,700)

Elaborating co-management strategies (Bechati-Fossimondi) - €20,000 (US $25,000)

To support this projuect, just click on cross river gorilla on the donation widget to the right. Click here for more information on this extraordinary ape.

The implementing partners include: Wildlife Conservation Society, the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains (CAMM), Development in Nigeria (DIN), the Cross River State Forestry Commission, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Environment & Rural Development Foundation (ERUDEF) and 8 village-based gorilla guardians.

Tags: Cameroon, cross river Gorilla, gorilla, lowland gorilla, Nigeria, WCS

3 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Mar 04 2009 | By: paula

The news from Congo has all been very good lately, and we’ve forgotten all about Nkunda… or have we?

This new article suggests that Nkunda isn’t quite a villain that the press has painted him out to be, but it is doubtful that many will believe the author.  Afterall, there’s no doubt that things have been much more peaceful since Nkunda’s exit and since the joint military efforts of Rwanda and Congo were initiated. The New York Times story today suggests that most people are cautiously hopeful that this could be the start of a lasting piece.   We at WildlifeDirect at least are all heaving a huge sigh of relief because the news from the Virunga Park reveals that the situation facng rangeres is so much better, reconstruction is ongoing and the Gorillas are safe, and it looks like a new era of cooperation betwen Uganda, Rwanda and Congo on this world heritage site.

Where is  Nkunda now? Kagame says that he’s still in Rwanda and that he will be released to the Congo to deal with him though its not clear why the extradition of Nkunda to Congo is taking so much  time.

Congo is set to undergo major development in coming years with China planning to spend $9 billion on mining and infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo even though there is opposition to this from the International Monetary Fund.

One response so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Mar 03 2009 | By: paula

Today we are celebrating the birth of a baby by Mahisho in the Kabirizi family. Innocent took some lovely photos which can be found here at the Official Virunga website

But we are also mourning the death of 8 year old Muchana at the St Louis Zoo - she was found dead tangled in her ropes.

And 32 year old Kambula at Texas Zoo who had an untreatable condition and was euthanized

We are also deeply shocked by the savage chimpanzee attack in Connecticut. Listening to the 911 call is terrifying I am not surprised that it took this particularly horrific mauling of a woman last week by the pet chimpanzee, for the USA to take immediate action in banning trade in apes. Its not the first time it has happened, over 100 people have been attacked by chimpanzees in USA (29 are children) but this incident led to the swift drafting of new legislation and the passing of a vote to ban interstate trade of apes and monkeys. It’s a pity that it took such a tragic incident to close a loop ion US legislation which bans the importation of apes for pets, but did not ban the transport for the purpose of sale of apes once in the USA. Now that the vote has passed (overwhelmingly 323-95), and will make it difficult for people to access apes like chimpanzees and gorillas which are sought for household companions.

Hopefully this incident which led to the killing of the 14 year old chimpanzee named Travis, will discourage people from seeking baby apes for pets. One consequence of ape trade is the tragic escalation in number of orphaned apes now in captivity in at JACK, Limbe, Cercopan, Tacugama and Lola ya Bonobo.

Ironically, someone called me yesterday asking if I could help find a baby mountain gorilla for a member of the royalty in one of the Arab states who wanted a pet. I know that Vanessa would agree with me when I told them why it was such a bad idea! Somehow though, I fear that this person will try to get a gorilla through illegal means.

Tags: ape trade, baby gorilla, DR Congo, Innocent, Kabirizi, Missouri Zoo, Mountain Gorillas, Virunga

4 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Mar 03 2009 | By: paula

Something very exciting is happening in the Virunga region. An ‘Inter-State agency’ is being created to coordinate conservation in the Virunga volcanoes called The ‘Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC)‘. The agency formalizes the ongoing collaboration between the three countries that share the Virungas, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda .

The GVTC’s will work to conserve, manage environmental resources and promote tourism in protected areas of the three countries especially the Virunga Park, which is home to hundreds of the only surviving mountain gorillas in the world. Administration of this agency will be vested in the Inter-Ministerial board, the Trans-boundary Core Secretariat and its affairs directly managed under an Executive Secretariat based in Rwanda.

With this new development, environmental management, law enforcement, gorilla census and tourism will be coordinated across the transboundary region.

We offer our heart felt congratulations to the ministers of the three countries and wish well in getting this initiative off the ground.

Tags: Congo, DR Congo, Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, ICCN, Mountain Gorillas, ORTPN, Rwanda, Uganda, UWA, Virunga

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