Gorilla Protection

This is Augustin. Bad news I’m afraid: yesterday we had to evacuate from the Gatovu Patrol Post.

There have been significant movements by Nkunda’s rebels over the past few days in the Mikeno Sector. Yesterday they arrived at the Rwankuba Hill, which is right next to the Patrol Post and just opposite from a Congolese Army position.

Gatovu Patrol Post

The rangers were concerned that an attack was about to take place with them caught in the middle, so at 7PM last night we decided to evacuate them. We are today trying to find out more information from the army about what is going on, and when it might be safe to return.

You will remember that we only recently re-opened this patrol post and had launched successful anti-poaching patrols from there in the past few weeks.

I will keep you informed as things develop…

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This is Augustin. The Makala Campaign is the effort to prevent the destruction of the gorilla habitat for charcoal, which is the most important threat to the future of the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. Our charcoal roadblock at Kibati on the route between the park and Goma has been difficult to manage, with trucks trying to force their way through at night and at high speed.

The charcoal we confiscate is sent to our station at Rumangabo for storage and is then redistributed to people who have been displaced by the war. On Monday the UNHCR came with two trucks and picked up 240 sacs of charcoal for redistribution in displaced people camps. Considering that each sac is worth $30 in Goma, that is $7,200 worth of charcoal that we are donating to the refugees.

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This is Diddy. It has been a difficult week. On Tuesday Alexandre Wathaut, the director of Virunga National Park, died of natural causes at the age of 64. It came as a shock to all of us here, as he was well liked and much respected.

Director Wathaut with his grandchildren (photo taken in January)

The Funeral at Rumangabo

Director Wathaut had worked for the ICCN (the Congolese Wildlife Authority) since 1971. He started as an accountant in Rutshuru, but then transferred to fieldwork and became a wildlife warden, first in Virunga and then at Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

During his time at Kahuzi-Biega, Wathaut was responsible for establishing the ranger station at Nzovu, which was critical in protecting a large area of important lowland habitat for wildlife. He rose to the rank of Director in 2005 and then transferred last year back to Virunga, where his leadership was crucial in coordinating efforts during the gorilla crisis.

Atamato was one of the pallbearers (on right)

Innocent in the white shirt on the right

The funeral took place today and he was buried at the Rumangabo Station. As you can see, hundreds of people came to pay their respects. He will be sorely missed.

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This is Augustin. Late last week we continued our patrols in the Gatovu area, where we discovered 21 snares and caught a poacher. Please watch the video:

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This is Pierre. Yesterday I went to Mt Tshiaberimu, which is in an area of Virunga National Park that is safe from the rebels and that has an isolated group of 19 gorillas.

In this video, you see Safari, the Ranger who took me up the mountain, as well as the silverback Tsongo and two juveniles called Mwasa and Kambula. As you can see, the young ones spent a lot of energy trying to impress us!

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