Congo Ranger shot and killed because he was trying to protect wildlife from armed poachers
Category: Crises, Rangers, Thoughts | Date: Apr 20 2007 | By: admin
On 18th April the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that a Ranger in Nyaruhangi, in Virunga
National Park, was shot dead by armed men assumed to be from the FARDC during the night of the 17th. Paul Bagambe Baibutsa was Chief of the Ruti Patrol Post. It seems that Bagambe was targeted as he was seen as an obstacle to animal poaching. I met him a couple of times but didn’t know him too well. Other rangers tell me that he was a brave man and spoke out against the Congolese army illegally poaching in the park. He was shot through the shoulder a couple of years ago but fortunately survived. This time, sadly, he wasn’t so lucky. I have promised to provide some support to his family to try and help them through the difficult times ahead. May his soul rest in peace.Â
Will the hippos recover from the recent massacre?
Category: Hippos, Thoughts | Date: Feb 22 2007 | By: admin
Trish and Chris have asked an interesting question about the recovery of the hippos in and around Lake Edward. As I mentioned earlier, this used to be the most important hippo population in the world. In 1959 there were over 27 thousand hippos. When Emmanuel did the aerial survey of the hippos last December, there were only 315 left. This is a catastrophic decline, that led to hippos being listed on the IUCN redlist as an endangered species.
Hippos wallowing on the southern shores of Lake
Edward back in the 1980s (photo from Languy and de Merode 2006)
Hippos increase at 9% a year when they’re undisturbed. So, if we can stop the poaching, it would take them 53 years to build up to their earlier numbers. That’s assuming there’s no poaching or disease epidemic. That said, there’s a healthy population in the Ugandan part of the lake, many of which will probably migrate over to Congo with time, so it will certainly take less time. Whatever happens, there’s a lifetime’s work in store for us!
Military Totem
Category: Thoughts | Date: Dec 15 2006 | By: admin
Not something you might expect to see in a National Park back home. But this is Congo. This is different.  Â
Skull, ammo box and jaw staked out on the side of the main road
A brutal reminder to the Interehamwe marks the spot where one of their rebel soldiers was shot just over a month ago. Psychological warfare of this nature seems to play a key role in a country still haunted by black magic and fetishism.
Mount Nyamulagira erupts in the Virunga National Park
Category: Thoughts | Date: Nov 29 2006 | By: admin
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Nyamulagira erupted on Monday 27th at approximately 1930. Ever since, lava from the 1km long fissure has been moving down the western side of the volcano towards Sake, a small town 25km west of Goma on the edge of the Virunga National Park and the scene of recent clashes between the dissident Gerneal Laurant Nkunda and the UN Peacekeeping Forces. Earlier on Monday morning Nkunda and his troops attacked the UN who had set up cordons between Sake and Goma. By midday, the UN had managed to push them into a retreat.Â
Nkunda and his men are one of several rebel groups who have been occupying the park over recent months, cutting down the forest and poaching the wildlife. Efforts by the Congolese military to push them out have been fruitless. Well, it seems as if the park has finally had enough and through the use of one of its two active volcanos, has decided to give the UN a helping hand. DRC’s very own resource protection strategy!Â
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ICCN condemns The Earth Organisation for their agreement with Ugandan Rebel Terrorist Group the LRA
Category: Thoughts | Date: Oct 12 2006 | By: admin
ICCN General Direction
Kinshasa
09 Oct 2006
Dear Mr. Lawrence Anthony,
We have read with great shock and surprise the communication by the Earth Org News stating ‘Ugandan Rebel army pledges to save highly endangered Rhinos’, also published on your website.
African Parks reacts to Guardian article
Category: Thoughts | Date: Sep 16 2006 | By: admin
“Desperate times call for desperate measures” says Lawrence Anthony from the Earth Organisation in a report published by the Guardian on the 13th September 2006. But does this really involve the blatant disregard for fundamental human rights, and will Mr Anthony’s deal with the LRA have any real impact on the ground? The recent article has provoked a strong response from the African Parks Foundation, keen to set the record straight….
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