For Release March 21, 2008
The situation for the mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Virunga National Park) remains critical, because political insecurity has not allowed Congo’s park rangers to resume their work patrolling and protecting the forest where the gorillas live. DFGFI’s Kabara Research Station, where we work in conjunction with the Congolese park authorities (ICCN), is unable to continue its operations at this time.
DFGFI is part of a crisis task force that includes the Congolese park authorities (ICCN) and other conservation groups, and stands ready to continue providing support for park rangers, special guards, a medical clinic, emergency supplies, health programs, and other needs in this region, as soon as the situation improves. We are maintaining close contact with ICCN regarding the situation in Congo’s Virunga Park.
Our facilities for “confiscated” gorillas, in conjunction with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, continue to operate in both Congo and Rwanda. Here we provide round-the-clock daily care for young gorillas that have been confiscated from poachers or whose family groups have been killed.
In Rwanda, DFGFI’s regular patrols of the mountain gorillas continue uninterrupted from the Karisoke Research Center. All of our other programs continue as well, including our work in the interior area of Congo, where we partner with national parks and community-based reserves to help save the endangered Grauer’s (eastern lowland) gorilla populations. We also continue to conduct our education, health and economic programs in this interior region of Congo, which stretches from Maiko National Park to Kahuzi-Biega Park, and in Rwanda.
