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It’s the dry season here in Virunga, which means times are hard for all the park’s animals - their daily struggle to find food and water is tougher than ever. The Mountain Gorilla population is no exception but life is particularly tough for the Munyaga Family. There isn’t much bamboo for them to eat and most of what there is in a narrow belt around Mount Mikeno, and that area is dominated by those two towering rivals - Kabirizi and Humba.
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Virunga’s Volcanoes Seven of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga range stand within the park’s boundaries. Indeed the word Virunga corresponds to the word volcano in Kinyarawanda, the first language of the people who live nearest to the park. Most of the Virunga Volcanoes are dormant, but two of them - Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira - are very active: they are responsible for two-fifths of the total of Africa’s volcanic eruptions
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THE THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE GORILLA MASSACRE: CONGOLESE RANGERS COMMEMORATE THE TRAGEDY On the morning of 22 July 2007, Rangers in Virunga National Park found the bodies of four mountain gorillas. They had been murdered by gunmen; shot at point blank range in the manner of an execution. The remains of another gorilla from the same family were found three weeks later. Her infant was missing, presumed dead. Images of the tragedy were broadcast across the globe, bringing attention to the threats facing this critically endangered species.
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Mukunda – the solitary Silverback that was relocated to the park just a few weeks ago – is now in Rwanda. These are the latest reports from the field, from my Rangers and also the Rangers with ORTPN, the Rwandan Wildlife Authority with whom we work closely to protect Mountain Gorillas.
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Now the Humba family of Mountain Gorillas has started to leave the forests of Virunga to eat the crops of the villagers who live next to the park. As you can see this is an ongoing problem – and we desperately need to find a solution.
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On 30 June the Democratic Republic of Congo celebrated 50 years as an independent sovereign state. In Kinshasa President Kabila took the salute at a military parade and afterwards hosted heads of state and other dignitaries - including King Albert II of Belgium and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon - at a gala dinner. And people in communities across the DRC got together to express their pride in this beautiful country, their sadness for all that they have suffered, and their hope for the future.
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Patroling the flanks of the Nyiragongo Volcano - one of Africa's most active - can be challenging and full of surprises. But the Rangers of Virunga - led by Emmanuel and Innocent - carry out regular patrols of the area to eliminate the threat of deforestation caused by those making illegal charcoal. Watch this video to learn more about the difficulties of protecting the flora and fauna of Virunga National Park... and see footage of one ... Read the full story »

That Silverbacks compete for control of a family by fighting? These fights are called interactions: they are nasty, brutal, sometimes quite long - they last anything up to three days – and very formal, at least at first.
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Suena and Poplap - the 2 subadult chimps that were seized in January after being found in filthy conditions in Goma withi nsufficient food and water - are thriving in their new surroundings at the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre near Bukavu.
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Today 1,002 prisoners in Goma’s city jail now cook their food with fuel briquettes. This was possible thanks to the support of our partner Mercy Corps who has donated 3 fuel efficient stoves, and a private Congolese donor who buys fuel briquette sacks every month.
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