Rebels Seize Habitat for Endangered Gorillas in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Rebels have seized an area in eastern Congo that serves as a wildlife habitat for endangered mountain gorillas, threatening one of the last known populations of the animals, conservationists said Sunday.

Shelling and heavy gunfire could be heard from the headquarters of the Virunga National Park, and rangers were forced to flee over the weekend, said the international conservation group WildlifeDirect.

Only 700 mountain gorillas exist in the world, of which more than half live in the Virunga conservation area, a huge swath of territory at the intersection of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Rebels loyal to warlord Laurent Nkunda have frequently battled over the park in their clashes with the army. Caught in the crossfire are the rare gorillas, 10 of which have been killed this year.

CNN.com

This is horrible news. They are such remarkable creatures and they have every right to this planet as we do.

The area containing the mountain gorillas was also attacked in January, when two silverbacks were killed. Four months ago, the dead body of a female gorilla was found. Conservationists say she was killed execution style.

CNN.com

Such a shame..

Yep, read that too OP. It makes me sick the only mountain gorillas left alive will be in zoos. They are trying to recruit the park rangers now for war. It is apalling. They eat them you know.

reply to post by jpm1602


I know what's going on over there is just horrific! Countless deaths and rapes, children being forced into armies or sex rings and endangered animals being forced closer to the edge of extinction...all this for what?

Here is a short article w/pic about the rebels eating a gorilla
news.nationalgeographic.com...]

I wish there was something I could do.

Four gorillas shot:

"They've been reduced from a family of 12 to just a handful, with no dominant male," says Aveling. "The only option is for a young male to take over, but it's possible the whole group will dissipate.

"They're now at risk and their future is very fragile.

"But it's also a tragedy for the people of the three countries - Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo that share the range where the mountain gorillas exist - who rely on the income from the tourism they generate.

"The loss of any gorilla will have a huge impact."

Meanwhile, days after its mother was hauled off for a post-mortem at the park's laboratory, one of the babies is still missing. Its chances of survival are low.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

Also, ebola has and continues to take it's toll on the gorilla population as well as other ape populations.

"In the last 10 years, Ebola is the single largest killer of apes. Poaching is a close second," said Peter Walsh, a member if IUCN's Primate Specialist Group, told the AP. "Ebola is knocking down populations to a level where they won't bounce back. The rate of decline is dizzying. If it continues, we'll lose them in 10-12 years."
ap.google.com...

Is there any hope for these animals?