GABONESE ORPHAN GORILLAS SET FREE ON AN ISLAND

Text by Sarah Monaghan, images by SCD B.V.

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Six young gorillas rescued from the illegal bush meat trade, have begun new independent lives on a lagoon island just outside Loango National Park in Gabon.

The full story can be read here  

Earlier this year we (WildlifeDirect) were approached by someone commissioned by a rich citizen of a middle eastern country, who wanted to know how to go about purchasing a baby gorilla. We were very disturbed at the request, and explained as politely as possible, the legal and ethical implications and consequences. Well, it’s obvious that there is a market for baby gorillas as has just been reported by the ICCN.

On Sunday a suspected gorilla trafficker was caught and arrested at Goma International Airport.  He arrived from Walikale with a baby eastern lowland gorilla hidden under clothes at the bottom of a bag.  This baby came from Congo which is the only place where this species is found. The baby was stressed and was “suffering from over-heating and dehydration after spending over 6 hours in transit”.

This video shows how the operation was conducted by the Virunga National Park. WildlifeDirects former CEO Emmanuel de Merode led the 3 month opearation. Congratulations to everyone at the ICCN – lets hope that justice will be served and the baby gorilla returns to it’s natural habitat.

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Read the ICCN press release here

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!!

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.