Tshiaberimu

Category: Gorillas, Rangers, Virunga National Park | Date: Nov 04 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello, this is Jean Claude. Please see below the heart-rending letter my colleague Henry Cirhuza from Goma has sent out to the world about the humanitarian crisis in eastern DR Congo.

Dear friend,

I am writing to you from Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where once again the horror of war threatens to destroy our country and the conservation efforts that we have established to protect some of the world’s last remaining gorillas.

I am proud to be Congolese and I am proud of my country, but it breaks my heart to see war engulfing our lives and all that we have worked hard to achieve.

The situation in Goma deteriorated suddenly on Wednesday evening. Soldiers from the Congolese national army, who had been fighting rebels on the road to Kibumba, just north of the city, arrived in Goma and began firing bullets everywhere.

The soldiers were out of control, and mass panic broke out among the population of Goma who did not know what to do. After nightfall, the city remained at the mercy of uninhibited soldiers who began to loot homes and rape women throughout the city. It was a terrifying situation. All we could do was lock ourselves in our houses and hope for the best. I felt completely helpless.

On Thursday morning, we awoke with great reluctance. We did not know the extent of the damage done over night, nor who controlled the city. But we were at least thankful that we had made it through the hours of darkness without being harmed.

I later managed to speak with a neighbour, who has connections with the military. He reported that at the last minute, when the city was about to fall into the hands of rebels, negotiations were made and Laurent Nkunda, the rebel leader, had been forced to call a cease-fire.

Despite the supposed cease-fire, we continued to hide in our homes. We were still too terrified to leave the house in case the gunfire started again, and we listened to the radio in the hope of gaining information. I contacted family, friends and colleagues to make sure that no one had suffered from the attacks. The day before we had lost contact with some of our colleagues in Rutshuru, a town in the middle of rebel held territory. We feared the worse - and felt helpless to do anything, but thankfully they were all OK; after spending a fearful night in the forest they had returned to their homes. My two cousins sadly did not fare so well. Armed robbers had visited their homes, all their personal belongings were looted and their families were petrified – they lost everything.

The situation in Goma has turned in to a major humanitarian crisis. There are hundreds of thousands of people without homes, and the lack of food and water is becoming a major problem. All the markets and shops are deserted and since many of the roads surrounding Goma are controlled by rebels there is no way for food to get to the city. It will not be long at all before people start dying of hunger. My family only have enough food for one more day and then we too will start to get desperate.

Up until now we have been reluctant to leave Goma. For all of us the memories of the Nyirangogo volcano eruption, which destroyed much of Goma in 2002, is still fresh in our minds. During this time we became refugees and suffered theft, abuse, hunger and cold, and we are scared that if we leave we will be in this situation again. But as we run out of food I have realised that we can no longer stay here.

Myself and the rest of the Gorilla Organization team are also becoming increasingly concerned about the gorillas.

As food runs out and soldiers make life in the city hell, people are fleeing to the only place they can – to the gorillas’ forest. They will be searching for food, but my fear is that they will not find enough food in the national park either – the forest cannot support hundreds of thousands of people – and instead they will unintentionally be destroying the gorilla habitat. We can only hope that the gorillas will be wise enough to move deep into the forest, or maybe cross the border in to Rwanda. Having said that, as the forest becomes populated with refugees and soldiers there will be little place for them to hide.

The gorillas are now completely unprotected. Rebels raided the Congolese wildlife authority (ICCN’s) headquarters at Rumangabo earlier in the week, and the rangers were forced to flee. Many rangers are now suffering in squalid refugee camps, but some remain missing and we fear these guardians of the gorillas may not make it. While we believe that the gorillas are not a target of the unrest, it is surely only time before they get caught up in the conflict - and without ranger protection they are in serious danger.

If we can make it safely over the border to Rwanda, our colleagues there will be able to help us find food, water and shelter and we will be able to get back to our work of saving the gorillas. The Gorilla Organization is perfectly placed to help ease the pressure on the national park and support the rangers in protecting the gorillas. But for this we need your help.

Congo is in crisis. This is an emergency situation. We need funds to evacuate the Gorilla Organization’s staff and partners from eastern DR Congo and to help them survive away from home until it is safe for them to return. And we need funds to ensure that as soon as the area is safe we have the resources in place to protect the gorillas and their habitat as well as we possibly can.
Please help us and give whatever you can today.

Thank you

Henry Cirhuza
DR Congo Programme Manager
The Gorilla Organization

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Category: Butembo, Gorillas, Kyondo, Tshiaberimu | Date: Oct 30 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello, this is Jean Claude again. Thank you all so much for your messages of support.

We are following the situation carefully. This morning MONUC helicopters (UN peacekeepers) flew over Kyondo twice as they patrolled the area. But Kyondo and the area around Mount Tshiaberimu are safe at the moment. We have a problem with communication however, as both the Vodacom and Celtel networks have not been available since yesterday at Kyondo and Butembo. I’m using CCT network keep in touch with my colleagues in Goma.

At Mount Tshiaberimu everything carries on as normal for now, but I had a meeting with Katu, the local chief to establish an emergency plan if we need it.

My colleagues in Goma continue to sit tight. Yesterday there was fighting at Goma airport but MONUC have secured this area now. Things felt slightly calmer this morning but most people remain locked in their homes. We had some good news as the Gorilla Organization’s project partners based near Rutshuru, who we had lost touch with yesterday, are all safe and have been back in touch this morning.

I will keep you updated if I hear any more news.

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Category: Butembo, Gorillas, Tshiaberimu, Uncategorized | Date: Oct 29 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello this is Jean Claude. At the moment we are safe at Mount Thsiaberimu but we are very concerned about the security situation at Goma.

I am at Kyondo at the moment and rebels have started to walk around. I have asked all staff to be very careful.

This morning I spoke to my colleague Henry who is in Goma. He had an ok night but there is fighting between the rebels and the Congolese army at Kibumba, just 30km from Goma. Gorilla Organization staff are staying in their homes for now but are keeping a very close eye on situation and an evacuation plan is in place should they need it.

Some Gorilla Organization partners are based in Rutshuru (between Goma and Mt Tshiaberimu) which is now under control of the Nkunda’s rebels. We had contact with staff there yesterday but today we have lost contact. We think they may have fled towards Uganda for safety.

The road from Rutshuru leads all the way up to Butembo, north of Mount Tshiaberimu and we fear that Rutshuru could be used as a door to move further north.

For the moment things are ok at Mount Tshiaberimu but we will keep in close contacts with all our colleagues and pray for the people and gorillas of the area.

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Category: Communities, Gorillas, Tshiaberimu, Uncategorized, Virunga National Park | Date: Oct 29 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello, this is Jean Claude. Sorry for the delay in my post, last week I was in Kampala, Uganda for the Gorilla Organization’s annual strategy meeting.

I have some sad news. On Thursday October 23 2008, Mwami Kalemire II, head of the chiefdom of Bashu, departed this world after a month in hospital.

Mwami Kalemire was a valiant fighter for ICCN, he was a man of value, peace and reconciliation. Mwami Kalemire, Grand Chief of Nande, was also the leader who controls Mount Tshiaberimu. He has championed the cause of the Virunga National Park and in particular Mont Tshiaberimu.

I attended the burial ceremony along with a huge gathering of Mwami Kalemire’s supporters including the Governor and a strong delegation from Kinshasa, Goma, Masisi, Walikale and Uganda.

Mwami Kalemire, a great supporter of gorilla conservation did not die alone. The same day the wife of late conservator Mesi’s father and Madame Scheidegger of Flora Fauna International also passed away. It was difficult for me to represent ICCN and the Gorilla Organization at all of ceremonies Thursday on Sunday 26 October, it was a very sad day. But it was important for me to say goodbye to them all and I succeeded to be everywhere. May missing souls depart in peace ….

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Category: Communities, Gorillas, Tshiaberimu, Virunga National Park | Date: Oct 02 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello, this is Jean Claude. On 18 September, as we traveled from Mulango Patrol Post to Burusi Patrol Post, we received a phone call alerting us to the presence of a lion in the Nguli valley towards Vihyo village.

The local population at Nguli had heard the roar of the lion and in the morning awoke to find that 13 goats had been killed. The community called the head of the Mount Tshiaberimu patrol post and also contacted the army to register the case.

Following the call I contacted ICCN’s Director Mushenzi, to ask for advice and he agreed with our suggestion to chase the lion away by firing shots in to the air.

We had to inform the whole population before we took action to ensure that they were not alarmed by the gunshots and to avoid panic.

Unfortunately this operation did not work as the lion resisted.

The next day one man Mr Kamuda was injured as the lion bit him in the leg. He was treated at the local health centre. In addition four of Mr Dokoro’s goats were found dead and three belonging to Mr Shiriki were also killed - totaling 20 all together.

The following day we again tried to drive out the animal with the help of the army. On the fourth gunshot the lion jumped on a soldier, but as the solider fell to the ground he retaliated and shot the lion. The lion became enraged but eventually, after the seventh shot, the lion succumbed and was carried away by the local people.

We did our best to move the lion safely without killing it, and it is sad that the animal lost its life. We are working hard with the communities in this area to improve their livelihoods and reduce encroachment on the forest so that they are able to protect the forest and the animals living there.

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Category: Gorillas, Rangers, Tshiaberimu, Virunga National Park | Date: Sep 11 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello this is Jean Claude. A few weeks ago the trackers and rangers at Mount Tshiaberimu took part in a four day training course at the Kalibina summit at Tshiabirimu. The training was facilitated by Dr. Gladys and Stephen Rubanga of Conservation Through Public Health under the financial support of ZSL and the Gorilla Organization.

The training covered both theory and practical skills and looked at clinical signs, the collection of data on the health of gorillas, processing data, the laboratory, the autopsy and veterinary treatment. The training was planned following the death of two gorillas earlier in the year.

During the training Dr. Gladys presented the team with antibiotics very kindly donated by Judy Brey from California and equipment offered by ZSL. These drugs and equipment will be kept at Mount Tshiberimu in case of an emergency – if another gorilla gets ill the team will be able to make a decision about whether to intervene and if it is decided that they should they now have all the necessary equipment that the need.

The photos below were taken during the training.

Here the trackers and rangers gather round at the beginning of the training

Here is Gladys and the CTPH team with the antibiotics and equipment

The training continues in the forest

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Category: Gorillas, Tshiaberimu, Virunga National Park | Date: Sep 02 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

This is Jean Claude. It is with great pain that I have to announce the death of Musangania, a 5 year old gorilla from the Lusenge Family. Musangania was found dead near the camp of Burusi at 9 am on Saturday morning by the head of the monitoring team.

This came as a complete shock to everyone at Mount Tshiaberimu. Since the death of two adult females in February and May this year we have been monitoring the health of the remaining gorillas extremely closely. In addition to daily health monitoring, MGVP vets visited the Lusenge family three weeks ago, and just last week CTPH vets visited the family also. Both vets’ reports confirmed that the family was healthy and well, and we had absolutely no cause for concern.

So when Musangania’s body was found with an inflated belly, traces of blood in the mouth, lesions on the lips and foamy saliva coming from the mouth - I felt sick to my stomach.

It was an extremely sad moment to find Musangania dead. He was such a young and lively gorilla and had been seen the previous day playing up in a tree, at a height of 9 meters, with his companion Mukokya and his father Nzanzu.

Musangania’s body was carried by rangers to the Gorilla Organization’s base at Kyondo. The body was refrigerated overnight and on Sunday an autopsy was carried out by MGVP, CTPH, the Gorilla Organization and ICCN.

The autopsy revealed that Musangania died from a brain hemorrhage and deformation to the front, right side of the head. We are still waiting for the results of samples taken during the autopsy, but based on the post mortem, the recent health monitoring and the sightings of Musangania up the tree the day before - we believe that the gorilla fell from the tree, whilst playing, and hit his head badly on the way down.

This is a devastating moment for everyone here. A gorilla falling from a tree is rare, but unavoidable. Though with the very small population of Mount Tshiaberimu gorillas, it is a very big loss.

Here is a picture of young Musangania’s body, the burial service, and Nzanzu, Musangania’s father.

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Category: Gorillas, Rangers, Tshiaberimu, Uncategorized, Virunga National Park | Date: Aug 26 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello, this is Jean Claude. Muramba is a village at the foot of Mount Tshiaberimu, found on the west coast of Lake Edward. Sadly, Muramba has many problems and is a big threat to the survival of the gorillas. The population density of this village is growing and growing and is having a negative impact on the ecological corridor.

Encroachment in the forest has been a problem in this area for a long time now. Since 2004 we have worked hard with the local community to raise awareness to environmental issues and provide alternatives to the forest wherever we can but this work has had little success.

We recently carried out another visit to Muramba but again it was not successful. We will now concentrate on intensifying the patrols in the corridor between the coast of Lake Edward and the gorilla habitat, and also continue to work with the local communities to find a solution. Please see some pictures below taken by Vhosi during the recent mission to Muramba. In the first photo you can see the growing village between the lake and the forest of Mount Tshiaberimu. The next two photos show the meeting we held with the local community, and the final picture shows ICCN’s patrol boat.

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Category: Gorillas, Research, Tshiaberimu, Uncategorized, Virunga National Park | Date: Jul 31 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

Hello this is Jean Claude. During the last few days we have carried out a gorilla health monitoring visit at Tshiaberimu. Dr Jacques Iyanya and Dr Eddy Kambale from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) led the mission and were joined by Dr Mavisi, a local vet who has been working with the project for some time, and Mr Odilon, our research coordinator.

Three habituated gorilla groups were observed - Lusenge, Kipura and Kanindo - from the patrol posts of Burusi, Kalibina and Kikyo, respectively.

During the health monitoring visit, three individuals were checked from Lusenge group (Nzanzu, Musangania and Mukokya), four individuals from the Kipura group and two from the Kanindo family. Faecal samples from each night nest were taken and close observations of the individuals health and behavior were recorded. It is very rainy here now at the moment but thankfully the rain started after the fecal samples were collected.

I am very happy to tell you that no apparent health problems were recorded for any of the observed individuals - great news!

In addition to the vet’s visit, ICCN trained rangers are collecting health data daily for some habituated gorilla group. They are using the MGVP IMPACT system (IMPACT = Internet-Support Management Program to Assist Conservation Technologie) This system gives the rangers guidelines to observe the gorillas health and helps them to identify any health problems.

Please see some pictures below taken during the gorilla health monitoring visit. I am sorry that some of them some of them are not very clear.
Thanks for all your support and I will write again soon.

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Category: Gorillas, Rangers, Tshiaberimu, Virunga National Park | Date: Jul 24 2008 | By: tshiaberimu

This is a message from Rebecca, a 23 year old ranger who has recently arrived at Tshiaberimu from ICCN’s local headquarters in Mutsora.

I am Rebecca. I have a love of nature. I decided to become a park guard as I saw how the ‘rebellion’ was widely destroying the Virungas National Park. I have just finished my ranger training and when I heard about Tshiaberimu my boss thought I would do well and be able to help in this sector.

But unfortunately, shortly after I arrived at Tshiaberimu, two female gorillas died. It was a very sad time for me at the beginning of my career.

I am determined to fully immerse myself with conservation and to take part in all the patrols to protect the gorillas. I hope to show other women that the gorillas are our close relatives; our cousins and we must help to protect them. When I see how the female gorilla Kitawite cares for her baby Musomboli, I remember how my mother cares for me.

The job is not easy as I am the first girl to stay in the northern sector of the Virungas and particularly at Tshaiberimu. I do not yet earn any wages but with the support of the project I have everything that I need.

I think that I will be among one of the first and few female conservationists.

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