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We have suffered a second major attack by FDLR militias in less than a week.  Ranger Muhindo Mburungani was killed instantly with two bullets through the chest as their unit was ambushed on the Kabasha escarpment to the west of the park.  He was part of the civilian protection unit positioned along the road.  Mastaki, a driver, was shot in the head, arm and stomach and was rushed to Kayna hospital in a critical state.

We believe there may be a massive influx of about 700 FDLR militias in the area.  We are holding crisis meeting with the senior military command this morning.  We have been appealing to the UN peace keeping force, MONUSCO, for support.

A grieving widow walks in front of her husband’s coffin, a ranger for Virunga National Park in DR Congo, who was killed in the line of duty. Photo by ©Brent Stirton/Getty Images

The events of this week have left us all deeply saddened. Virunga National Park has suffered more service deaths amongst its rangers than any protected area on earth. Despite this sobering fact, Virunga’s dedicated rangers still get up every morning ready to risk everything to protect the mountain gorillas and other beautiful flora and fauna of the park. And, during the long civil war, many rangers did so for little or no pay.

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Today we buried our dead.  The ceremony was simple, overwhelmed by the sorrow of eight grieving families.  Many hundreds of people came to Mai ya Moto, a beautiful site where the springs flow into the Rutshuru River overhanging the Rwindi Plains.  This is a sacred site where most of our rangers who have died protecting the park’s wildlife have been laid to rest.

The people came from Kiwanja, Rutshuru and as far as Goma to pay their last respects to our three rangers, and to the five soldiers who fought and died beside them.  The coffins were laid down side by side at our park cemetery at Mai ya Moto. The park’s chaplain read a few verses from the Bible and comforted the families, after which full military honors were given by the 131st Brigade for both the rangers and the soldiers, as is customary for those who have died for their country.  After that, we traveled in silence back to Rwindi.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the death of eight of our colleagues in a violent attack on one of our vehicles at 6am this morning.  3 were rangers and 5 were soldiers with whom we were working.  The vehicle was deploying the men along a road that goes through the centre of the park, so that the public can travel safely through this area that has been very insecure as a result of the presence of illegal armed groups.  The attack took place just next to the site where a UN peace keeper was killed last year.

All the signs indicate that the assailants were from an FDLR unit that is camped in the park.   We’ve had reports of over 700 FDLR combatants coming into the park in recent days.  They are extremely hostile towards ICCN ever since we started to stop the forest destruction for charcoal, an illegal industry from which they were making significant revenue.

I am in Rwindi with Rodrigue.  The eight rangers will be buried at Mai ya Moto, our burial site where we honor those who have died in our efforts to protect the park.  Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased and with the wounded in hospital.

This week seemed to focus on beginnings: a new ranger-training program, a new pilot, new meetings and negotiations to protect the park, and ordering much-needed equipment – a positive start to a new year.

Rangers patrol the Lulimbi savanna area where the new ranger training program will take place.

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“I have two daughters and two sons,” says Andre proudly.

There’s just one small detail he leaves out of that statement: yes, he has two sons, but his two “daughters” happen to be gorillas named Ndakasi and Ndeze, and he has cared for them since they were 2 and 5 months old.

Andre Bauma takes care of the two “baby” orphan gorillas (as everyone still calls them) who lost their mothers nearly four years ago, and now live in the large “Senkwekwe” enclosure at the park headquarters in Rumangabo. They are his “babies,” his “daughters,” and he loves them.

Andre and “daughter” Ndakasi play together at the Senkwekwe Center.

Andre tells about his first night with Ndakasi, almost 4 years ago:

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Mother Mafuko holds her new baby, born January 5th, 2011

It’s always worth celebrating the birth of a new baby gorilla, and this one is the first of 2011. With only about 790 mountain gorillas left in the world (according to the most recent census), each birth means one step closer to the survival of this magnificent species.

It will be about a month before the baby is named, and awhile before even the gender is known as the mother keeps the baby held tightly against her breast pretty much 24/7 like a good mom.

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So much activity happens in the park every week that it would be impossible to write about each event on the blog. We thought you might be interested in a brief summary, however, as it will give you a good idea of what we deal with on a regular basis.

Security

· Found two new FDLR rebel positions in the park.

· Consolidated the recovery of over 100 sq km of parkland SW of Lake Edward that was invaded by illegal agriculture over the past 15 years. This area is an important elephant habitat.

· Working on the preparation of training 90 new rangers in Lulimbi, south of Lake Edward.

· Sent a section (10 rangers) to Lubiliha, north of Lake Edwards, to prevent some local businessmen from carrying out land grabs in the park.

· In the north of the park, a team of rangers tried to prevent illegal logging but were blocked by logs on the road and forced to withdraw.

· A parks truck delivering rations to Rwindi was attacked, leaving a passenger on board lightly wounded and a bullet through the window.

· Arrested a poacher in the gorilla sector who had killed 3 antelopes.

A poacher is caught with the remains of three antelope illegally killed in the park.

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