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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Triumph as Gorilla Orphans Move to Senkwekwe Center
Ndeze & Ndakasi have moved to their new, lush, forest home in Virunga National Park - the Senkwekwe Center!
The gorilla girls are now with Andre and the other carers in the 40 x 40 meter holding facility, within what will eventually be a 2.5 acre (1 hectare) plot of lush forest, a stone’s throw from their habitat in the Gorilla Sector.
Yesterday started at dawn, with Emmanuel, myself, Katya, Eddy, Andre, the carers and the Gorilla Doctors - Dr Mike, Dr Jan, Dr Eddy, and Dr Jacques, and also Sandy from DFGFI, a carer for confiscated gorillas. First - Ndeze & Ndakasi had to be tranquilised to put them in the truck. The truck had been parked in the house for a week, so they had had the chance to get used to it.
At 6.30am we started winding through the streets of Goma, a convoy of 3 cars. Although it was still early, people were already out. It was strange to think the gorillas were in the back of the truck - with Andre and another carer.
Eventually we left Goma and headed north to begin the 45km journey to Rumangabo park station. This usually takes about 1h but it took us about 1h30. The roads are all dirt roads, and basically follow the Congo/Rwanda border - previously a hotbed of tension. You can see the Nyiragongo volcano smoking in the background.
After a very very long 1h30 we arrived at Rumangabo park station - again, no one knew the gorillas were in the truck. We had kept the moving date confidential.
Emmanuel parked at the top of the little path heading down toward the Senkwekwe Centre, and then Ndeze & Ndakasi got their first peekat the forest.
Andre and the other carers carried Ndeze & Ndakasi the short walk to their new home.
Once inside Ndeze and Ndakasi stuck to their carers and would not leave their side.
But after a very short time - literally 5 minutes - they started to gain confidence with their new surroundings. Remember they have not been in this habitat since mid 2007 when they were orphaned.
Gradually they started to leave their carers sides and explore…
Until a banana tree planted diligently by Innocent & Diddy took their fancy.
And that was it. Home at last.
It was a tense day, that went very smoothly. The Gorilla Doctors had thought of all the contingency plans from a veterinary perspective and Sandy brought her invaluable carer experience to the team. Andre and the 3 carers were the stars - along with Ndeze & Ndakasi of course.
It was also an emotional day. For everyone. Ndeze & Ndakasi are the only 2 baby mountain gorillas in captivity in the world. And we were all so desperate for them to return to their natural habitat.
I received an email from Dr Lucy Spelman, who you all probably remember used to work here. She summed it up with: “Please tell Andre I said Hello and that I would not have pushed to move the orphans there - or to build the facility - without him, his abilities, and his compassion for gorillas. I’ll never forget those tough days in Goma when Ndakasi could barely breathe. We all fought so hard for her, especially him. I’ve never had an animal patient that sick survive…”
In addition to the Congolese Wildlife Authority, the Gorilla Doctors, DFGFI, Gearing Up 4 Gorillas and many others, our biggest thanks go to Adam Murry at The Murry Foundation who has financed over $100,000 to date, and also to a lady Canadian donor who donated $30,000. Absolutely none of this would have happened without them.
And so now - in order to finish the perimeter wall of the 2.5 acre plot - we need your help. This is why we launched the campaign last month. And for every dollar we get on this website til 24 Dec, the UN Foundation will double it.
That way we will be able to complete the wall - and the visitation platforms, educational center and veterinary facilities. All critical to the future of the Senkwekwe Center.
Yesterday was a great day. And we all hope that soon there will be an even greater one when the Senkwekwe Center is finally finished.
We cannot do anything about the July 2007 massacre. What has passed is past. But we can all do something now to help Ndeze (Senkwekwe’s daughter) and Ndakasi.
Thank you all.
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- Children as young as 8 working in Congo copper mines - Toronto Star
- TOTAL Gets a New Partner in Congo - Zacks.com
- Minister confirms SA troops placed in Congo after CAR battle - BusinessLIVE
- Journalism disappearing in DR Congo - Arab News
- Sourcing from Africa's Great Lakes: conflict-free or Congo-free? - Financial Times (blog)
- UN chief visits Goma, eastern Congo; rebels impose cease-fire on his behalf - Washington Post
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28 Responses to “Triumph as Gorilla Orphans Move to Senkwekwe Center”
Welcome home, Ndeze & Ndakasi!
This man is changing the world. I wish there were more people in this world like Adam and his team who are not only changing animals lives but the people around them too.
Congratulations to everyone who was involved in making this happen.
I can still remember 2007 - the pictures of Senkwekwe and his family lying dead in the grass. Without knowing too much about it (I started to follow the mountain gorillas in 2007), I just felt that this was so wrong and so sad.
Your efforts in the last 2 and a half years have put a lot of what happened then right.
Please keep up the good work - I hope that I will be able to visit the centre one day.
Best regards from Germany,
Mark
You said it Mark. Adam has been an incredible source of support, and if you can believe it he has yet to visit. He is also the person who financed the school at Rumangabo for the kids that we inaugurated in March.
Thanks Leon for the $1,000 donation. Extremely generous. And thanks to everyone else for your donations. Every little helps - and the UN Foundation doubles every cent
It made my day to see the girls back among lush, green vegetation where they belong. Congratulations to all on the move! Welcome home Ndeze & Ndakasi! Senkwekwe is surely watching over them.
A truly beautiful homecoming!
Yay!!! Thanks for the detailed report and photos! What a thrill.
Ndakasi and Ndeze at Home.Yesterday was a great day. It was an emotional day for me, being in a team who moving up to Senkwekwe Center Ndeze & Ndakasi the two baby mountain gorillas in captivity in the world. It was a tense day that went very smoothly.
I wish that Ndeze and Ndakasi will spend a great Christmas in their quiet home.
What is the future for these two precious girls? Since they are girls will it ever be possible for them to be integrated back into a group or will they never have the skills needed to survive in the wild with other mountain gorillas? Is the Senkwekwe Center where they will live out the rest of their lives?
I have been in the BEST mood all day today after seeing this post. How wonderful!!!!! I am beyond thrilled — there are no words to describe it!!!
Hi Tamela. At the moment we are not sure what the future holds. All of those questions you pose are extremely pertinent, but as of yet we do not know the answers. Ndeze & Ndakasi were so young when they were orphaned - so it is hard to tell, and there is a plethora of issues to look at. First things first - we need to make sure they are comfortable in their new home and healthy - then we can start thinking about the next step
Watch this space!
Thank you all for your comments - so glad to share this occasion!
I am very pleased they have finally moved to a place that is so much more closely adapted to a mountain gorilla’s natural lifestyle. Well done everyone! The photos of them eating the wild banana tree remind me of seeing the same behaviour in the wild: http://gorillacd.org/2009/04/15/banana-feast-for-the-humba-group/.
You would be extremely happy with this outcome Pierre. The orphans are settling in really well too. Sandy is working with Andre and the other carers for the first few days to get a new menu together based on the forest food we now have better access to, and the market food at Rumangabo and Kibumba. Diddy is setting up a system for the forest food as he is at Bukima all the time - so all is looking good. Dr Eddy is also still in Rumangabo just to monitor the orphans’ progress, but both Ndeze & Ndakasi appear to be right at home! It is great to see a smile on everyone’s faces!
So so chuffed and very proud of you all over there. Still smiling. Well well done.
Great news! Congratulations to everyone!
ohh only see their faces of happiness. i know there is another baby male gorilla, I think it kaboko my idea is that might make him go to the center and forming a family, it’s just an idea I am not the specialist, Samantha.,???? This gorilla is so sweet Nevermind that lose a hand. answer me please
Betty you are right. In fact there are two other Mountain Gorilla orphans. Kaboko who is male and approximately five and a half years old. He was illegally poached from the forests in March 2007 at around three years old. The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project had to amputated his right arm just below the elbow, due to an infected snare wound. Maisha is a beautiful female who was confiscated in December 2004. She is almost eight years old and weighs 68kg. Both gorillas are currently living with six other orphaned lowland (also called grauer’s), gorillas on the Rwanda side of the Virungas. And there are three more grauer’s orphans in DRC. There is still much to discuss and arrange, but it is hoped that all the orphans will be relocated to a lush forest environment within the next year. Sandy Jones, Dian fossey Gorilla Fund International.
Awesome photo’s! well done everyone on move to the senkwekwe center, the girls look really happy. Interesting to hear of the other orphans, lets hope something can be done for them too.
Keep up the amazing work and fingers crossed for the 24th of december and reaching the target!
tim whyatt friend of Gearing up 4 Gorillas
Just chiming in a bit late here but wanted to say a huge congratulations to all involved in this monumental effort to give these 2 gorillas a new home. Even if they had to live out the rest of their lives there, I’m sure they would be happy. It just keeps getting better for them.
Again, well done!
[...] 2 orphan baby mountain gorillas - in their new home, the Senkwekwe Centre. It is now 2 months since they moved to their forest abode, away from the grime and noise of the city of Goma. The transfer went smoothly, as you all know, [...]
Chiming in even late…but how wonderful! At least there is a bit of good news among the recent tragedy. How wonderful for Ndeze & Ndakasi!
omg this money looks like me
[...] & Ndakasi have been living in a new forest home since December 2009 after moving there from the dusty and noisy city of Goma. But it is only partially complete - in actual fact it is a [...]
bravo vous êtes superbement des heros
merci pour les gorilles
[...] was shot and killed. A baby, Ndakasi, was left clinging to her breast and is now cared for in the Senkwekwe Centre with Ndeze by special ICCN [...]
[...] will be a struggle for years to come. Ndeze lived in Goma for two years before being moved to the Senkwekwe Centre in 2009. Share and [...]
[...] Bavukahe used to be a playful thing, especially when Noel and Baseka were in the vicinity, but her happy life was torn apart in 2007 when gunmen murdered her parents Senkwekwe and Safari. Bavukahe was injured in the attack - she was shot in her upper thigh and she had difficulty walking for some weeks. Although she made a full physical recovery she is almost certainly profoundly damaged by the attack. She left the Rugendo Family, we assume, to become solitary. This is a most unusual step for a female gorilla to take and we have seen nothing of her since. Her sister Ndeze fared rather better after the attack. She was taken into care by the ICCN and brought up at the Senkwekwe Centre. [...]
[...] and the Rangers returned to the park the park authorities built an orphanage, which they called the Senkwekwe Centre. Share and [...]