In the heart of Virunga, experts have been taking care of mountain gorillas for years. The idea? To help preserve this critically endangered species through deforestation, wildlife trafficking and the bushmeat trade.
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Good news
So the births of these small mammals are still considered as great victories. In a press release issued on July 25th, Virunga Park welcomed the good news: 'Mountain gorillas have been a great source of good news in 2018, and it's getting better and better! We are excited to announce the arrival of two new babies, giving a total of nine new mountain gorilla births this year.'
A park in suspension
Virunga Park is the oldest natural park in Africa, but it has decided to suspend its tourism activities for the rest of 2018, following the death of a ranger and the abduction of three people (including two tourists) on May 11th.
Located on the border between Uganda and Rwanda, the park lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo and stretches over no less than 7800 square kilometres in North Kivu province, which is unfortunately in the hands of armed militias and other military groups.
In June 2018, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa made official its project to exploit the oil resources of this jewel of biodiversity, even though it is classified as World Heritage by Unesco. It goes without saying that the oil exploitation of this area of the country would represent a real ecological disaster...
