Protection of the mountain gorillas is the prime focus of the Karisoke Research Center. DFGFI’s Karisoke trackers and anti-poaching teams provide daily monitoring and protection for several main groups of mountain gorillas, plus associated subgroups and lone silverbacks. In addition, Karisoke staff assist patrol efforts in other areas of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, in conjunction with the Rwanda Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN).
Today, Karisoke staff regularly conduct detailed behavioral observations on more than 100 identified individual gorillas and monitor and protect an area used by a significant proportion of the total Virunga mountain gorilla population. These regular, long-term monitoring and protection activities are one of the primary reasons for a 17% increase in the population observed between 1989 and 2003.
Karisoke’s anti-poaching staff are “active conservationists” in the field, and collect information daily on the location of different types of illegal activities in the park and on all types of park encroachment, such as cattle grazing and firewood collection. They also remove snares in the forest, most of which are set for antelopes and other small game. All data are shared and analyzed in conjunction with the Rwanda park authorities (ORTPN), to help guide park management decisions. In addition, a mobile anti-poaching unit consisting of staff from DFGFI and ORTPN provides additional protection for the gorillas by moving camp each week, to patrol different sectors of the forest and catch potential poachers off guard. Cross-border patrols with local teams from the Ugandan and Congolese sectors of the Virungas have also been established.
Karisoke’s trackers are in the field every day to provide monitoring and protection of several groups of mountain gorillas, plus their associated subgroups and lone silverbacks. In addition, several research assistants and data technicians also collect data for Karisoke’s long-term database. This database includes birth and death records, and information on locations and movements of the gorillas, health events, group activities, and any unusual events. To learn more, read about our mountain gorilla research.
