UN Peacekeepers fly to rescue Congo low-land Gorillas

UN Peacekeepers and conservationists fly to rescue Congo low-land Gorillas

10/May/2010

UN peacekeepers used helicopters to fly the apes (Gorillas) from a battle zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the Kasugho sanctuary in North Kivu province. The gorillas had been rescued from traffickers in the country’s rebel-infested east and faced being eaten.

According to Benoit Kisuki- Country Director Charity Conservation International (CCI), the rescued animals are Eastern lowland gorillas. He further added that, this species can only survive in the DR Congo. The use of air transport was crucial to the mission because conservation experts insisted that, the use of vehicles would put a great risk of losing the animals because they are traumatized.

The rescue project is part of a larger mission that was set up to combat Africa‘s illegal trade in baby gorillas, which has intensified in recent years with the proliferation of armed groups in the DR Congo. It was reported that Gorillas are often caught and sold for 000$ as exotic pets. Others are killed and sold locally as bush meat. Today only 5,000 eastern lowland gorillas are thought to survive in the wild. UN Report.

The report further notes that, the rescued gorillas have been given homes at a research centre where scientists can monitor their health before releasing them back into the wild.

It should also be noted that, Gorillas have become a major tourist attraction in Uganda; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Parks and Rwanda; Volcanoes National Park, also known as Parc National Des Volcans. However  by contrast, Congo‘s gorillas have suffered the effects of years of warfare and more than 150 rangers have been killed trying to protect the Country’s Wildlife reserves/National Parks from poachers.

A new UN-backed report also revealed that,  gorillas may become near-extinct in Africa‘s Greater Congo Basin by the mid-2020s unless action is taken to stop poaching and protect their habitat.

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