Congo Rangers

Category: Crises, General, Hippos, Rangers | Date: Feb 09 2007 | By: admin

We have just learned that the rebel Mai Mai group have set up camp in Muramba. This lies in the north west corner of Lake Edward, very close to the last remaining hippos in this area. We fear that these rebels are planning to slaughter more hippos, after the November/December massacre at the south of the lake that saw thousands of hippos dead.

We are still trying to obtain more information as to how many Mai Mai are in Muramba, and what can be done about it. The Mai Mai only want to kill the hippos for money - the meat fetches about $300 per hippo and then they also sell their long canine teeth which contain ivory. They kill the hippos with AK 47s… the animals simply do not stand a chance.

Two decades ago there were 22,875 hippos in Virunga National Park… Today we are lucky if there are 300. This brazen and systematic slaughter of hippos should not be happening. It is an outrage.

Remnants of the Hippo Slaughter in November last year

Scenes of the Hippo Slaughter last November

On another note, following the Mai Mai attack on the Lulimbi patrol post last week (virtually on the opposite side of the lake to Mutwanga), the two rangers who were taken hostage were released and rangers have started to return to the post.

Will keep you all posted…