Tshiaberimu

This is Jean Claude. I have some very sad news to report from Mt T. A second gorilla has died and we are deeply concerned that a disease is spreading throughout the population.Myself and everyone at Mt T, are doing all we can to find out why the gorillas died and to ensure that none of the remaining 19 gorillas get ill. I am sorry that I do not have much time to write more to you now but please see below some more information from our office in London.

On Saturday 10 May, our team of rangers at Mt Tshiaberimu, found the dead body of Molo, one of the few magnificent female gorillas living in the isolated part of the Virungas National Park. The rangers carried Molo’s body for five hours to get her to the outskirts of the park where a vet was able to carry out an autopsy without delay. The vet found no obvious signs that would explain why Molo died, and further analysis will be done before we can be entirely sure of the cause. What scares us most is that Molo is not the first gorilla to have died at Mt Tshiaberimu this year – on 8 February, Mughole, a female gorilla from the same family group was also found dead … we are gravely concerned that these tragic deaths are linked and could be the result of a contagious disease.… this is a critical situation and one that could see the demise of this extremely rare and fragile population of just 19 gorillas. As I am sure you can understand, the death of a second gorilla is great cause for concern. An outbreak of infectious disease in this area could be catastrophic for this tiny population of gorillas. It is imperative that we very quickly identify the cause of the outbreak and do all we can to prevent the spread of disease any further.Mt Tshiaberimu is a geographically isolated area of the Virungas National Park – the gorillas exist in a remote island of forest surrounded by bustling local communities and extensive farmland. Being sociable and inquisitive animals the gorillas will occasionally come out of the forest to forage in the local fields, putting them in contact with diseases that they would not normally encounter. Gorillas are wild animals and we can’t always prevent them from wandering, but what we can do is ensure that all the people and animals living in this area are well. In areas like this where wildlife, people and livestock intersect, a downturn in any one can seriously erode the heath and wellbeing of the others. To this end we have launched an emergency appeal to immediately address the health needs of the gorillas, the local communities and livestock, and we are asking all our supporters to help us in any way they can. A gift today will help us to do everything we possibly can to keep the remaining MtTshiaberimu gorillas safe and well. Please don’t give up on them.Thank you