From the Frontlines of Conservation

Sep 4th, 2008 | By Abhishek Bhatnagar | Category: Commentary

In one of my earlier posts, I had made a reference to Virunga National Park - a 7800 square kilometer reserve of the Congolese jungle. Virunga is home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas (MGs), and also to the ongoing Congo civil wars. The BBC just released an article that describes the events that occurred following the famous gorilla massacre from last year.

Starting from the very top, in June of 2007, two female MGs were discovered dead - one shot execution style, the other missing but presumed dead. It was clear the attack had been made by rebels in the area, who even today make a habit of threatening conservationists and conservation-able alike. This outrage was followed by jaw-dropping hysteria when in the following month, five more MGs were found dead.

On July 23rd, Mburanumwe, Neza, and Safari, three female MGs, were found lying dead in the trees. The next day, the body of Senkwekwe - the patriarch of the Rugendo family, also shot through the chest, was found. Another body, that of Macibiri was discovered a few weeks later. The shock these killings brought in the international community were just as pronounced as the grief of the local rangers who knew these famous gorillas intimately. In the same summer, another 3 gorillas would die.

Investigations found and convicted Honore Mashagiro, a park ranger, as the mastermind of the massacre. He had allegedly done all this to deter conservationists who were involved in saving the animal habitats. You see, along with diamond mining and poaching, another one of Africa’s lucrative underground trades is charcoal production. Trees are cut down and then “smoked” to produce charcoal which is always in demand in war-torn villages. It is used for primarily for cooking and heating by those who have no electricity or permanent homes. Just another way in which war directly affects the environment.

Anyhow, the conservationists were succeeding in protecting the forests from heavy logging, while the kickbacks Mashagiro earned from his illegal trade were suffering. If he had anything more than half a brain, he might have realized that his actions would only cause an international incident, and scare-off no one; but being the genius that he was, he decided to kill among the most revered of animals on Earth.

As dramatic as these events were, they only highlight a larger pattern in African governments. Park officials, military men, politicians, and other men entrusted with the safety of a country are those causing the most damage. In the time we resolve global politics and find a solution to Africa’s civil wars and poverty, the mountain gorillas, of which only a little over 700 remain, might be gone.

The more recent account of the BBC journalist (who was not named oddly enough) confirms that the problem is of as much imminence at this very moment as it was when the massacres occurred. Since September 2007, rebels have taken control of the area pointing their guns at anyone who enters. Gunfights break out occasionally, just as they did three days ago. Upon hearing these sounds, the humans get scared, and undoubtedly so do the gorillas.

In a late development, the reporter and his/her team recently caught onto a lead of a baby gorilla for sale. They setup a sting operation with the help of local park-rangers ready to make any arrests. On approaching the sellers, they found the baby gorilla to actually be a baby chimp, a fact the sellers did not seem to be aware of. After the arrests were made, it was found the men who our protagonists communicated with were actually middlemen. The owner of the house where the sale was made has been traced to a major in the Congolese army. Indeed a senior position. The BBC is not yet ready to release his name for legal reasons, but surely complex politics will surround the final outcome.

In good news, the reporter tells of the new head of Virunga - Emmanuel de Merode, an apparently capable person, who obviously has a lot on his plate. Let’s hope his reign remains under positive light. We owe a great debt of gratitude to these conservationists who are literally involved in a war. I said my thanks to one I met in the Jim Corbett National Park of India.

In the next few days, I have an interview coming up with Dr. Terese Hart, former director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Congo. She has also been on of these people, but has also worn the hat of a scientist. Her perspective on the subject should be very interesting. Stay posted.

Further Reading:
BBC Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7549444.stm

You can catch a documentary of Dr. Hart and her husband studying the Okapi with the help of the Bambuti: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6940493879196053202&ei=HbGoSJSnAYzQ2AKHtYgs&q=hart+of+brightness

More detailed and gruesome pictures of the accident: http://africambiance.org/phpbbv3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5563