After reading this e-mail by someone who felt I could help by spreading the word, I had to share it with my readers. You can contact any of the people whose e-mail addresses appear below to see what you can do to help. Jane Dewar is the Founder of Gorilla Haven, Morganton, GA, USA.

CONGO’s GORILLAS MARKED FOR EXTINCTION BECAUSE OF POLITICS.

Gorillas are being slaughtered in Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park. The park is located in the highlands overlooking Lake Kivu in the highlands of eastern Congo. The park is prime mountain rainforest, the home of 280 gorillas, and the Park is World-Heritage listed.

Miraculously the park survived Congos’ political upheavals and wars, that is until three years ago when Rwanda invaded this part of the Congo and established a government. Its area of control covers the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. This government has disarmed the park rangers. The poachers have automatic weapons, including Kalachnikov. It is no contest, the poachers’ bullets versus the body of park rangers! The rangers can’t even sleep in the park anymore, they come early morning in the park and count more slaughtered gorillas weekly. All the park rangers can do is stay with the two habituated gorilla families in daytime and hope for the best. The park rangers are no cowards, indeed until they were disarmed they were patrolling the park efficiently, they had no fear to track and stop the armed poachers, there was virtually no poaching.

There now remain at most 99 gorillas, three years ago there 280 gorillas, 65% of the gorillas have been slaughtered. The slaughter of gorillas continues today as you read this news. In January 2000, the dawn of the new millennium, mankind rejoiced because it has now the scientific, technological basis and the human and humane wisdom necessary to plan a bright future for the planet. Yet in January, 2000, the remnants of three gorillas slaughtered by poachers were found in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

Other wildlife has also suffered even worse. There remain at best 20 elephants, at worst 5 elephants. Three years ago there were at least 320 elephants. That is a 95% extinction rate. It started three years ago when meat from animals killed in the park was shipped across Lake Kivu to feed the Rwandan army.

I met Mugaruka, a habituated silverback gorilla. Recently, after Rwanda disarmed the park rangers, this 200-kg gorilla lost a hand. He tore it from a steel trap set by poachers.Can you imagine the pain, the anguish, the suffering? I saw all this in his eyes. Yet his eyes expressed the fear and knowledge he is condemned to death in a most cruel manner.If nothing is done the fate of the Kahuzi-Biega looks like a repeat of the situation in Rwanda’s 6000 km2 Akagera National Park. This park was destroyed in three years. First the rangers were disarmed and the animals machine-gunned to feed the army. Then cattlemen with the correct political connection were allowed in. Then step by step the land was opened for settlers with the correct political connections. The bulk (75%) of the park was then degazetted. Some government officials became rich landlords in the process.

In Rwanda none of the large conservation groups and societies uttered a word of protest to the press or to the Rwanda government when the Akagera National Park was destroyed. They were afraid to be accused to be insensitive to the human tragedy and horror of a genocide. Nevertheless there is a precedent for saving rare animals even in time of human tragedy. In World War II in Poland the last European wild buffaloes were preserved by all sides at war in the middle of horrific human misery, because the people believed that when peace will return these wild animals were an important heritage of their country and had to be preserved.Just look into the eyes of the silverback gorilla Mugaruka and look at his missing hand, and you will understand that we, people, owe it to humanity to save the remaining few gorillas of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. The gorillas should not be a pawn of politicians. The park rangers need to be supported and armed again to be able to arrest the poachers.

"Eric Wolanski Congo" e.wolanski@aims.gov.au
"Jo Thompson Congo" JAT434@aol.com
"Jane T. R. Dewar" jdewar@gorilla-haven.org

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