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Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga
Archive for the ‘Grauer's Gorillas’ Category
Baby Gorilla Ihirwe
April 11th, 2012 by Emmanuel
Baby gorilla Ihirwe has been well taken care of in Rwanda by MGVP Vets and caretakers.
Many of you will remember the incident last August where Rwandan police intercepted poachers crossing the border from Congo with a baby gorilla, later named Ihirwe by the gorilla doctors at MGVP. Based on interrogation of the poachers, it was believed the baby was a mountain gorilla from Virunga, but without DNA testing, it could not be proven. If Ihirwe was a mountain gorilla, she would have been brought to Virunga’s Senkwekwe Orphan Gorilla Center, the only sanctuary for critically endangered mountain gorillas in the world.
Baby gorilla Ihirwe on the day she was rescued from poachers in August 2011.
The DNA test results confirmed this week that she is NOT a mountain gorilla as originally believed, but an eastern lowland Grauer’s gorilla. Although we looked forward to receiving her at Senkwekwe Center, we are very happy to know that none of the mountain gorillas died or were poached in this incident.
Ihirwe will be transferred to the GRACE sanctuary west of Butembo in Congo to join a large family of other Grauer’s orphan gorillas. We wish her a long happy life.
Poached Baby Grauer’s Gorilla Rescued by Virunga Rangers
October 7th, 2011 by Emmanuel
Christian Shamavu, the ranger who led the team in the undercover operation to rescue the baby gorilla, opens the cage door and greets the baby when they arrive at the park headquarters of Rumangabo.
A small team of Virunga rangers played undercover cops this week when they posed as buyers for a poached baby gorilla.
It all started two weeks ago when Christian Shamavu, our dog unit team leader, received a call from some of his contacts about a baby gorilla trafficking ring. Â Sadly, we’ve now had several such incidences, and a system has been set up to track down the offenders, bring them to justice and recover the baby gorilla.
A first undercover team was sent in to Kaina in the Lubero territory at the beginning of last week. This is a dangerous area with a strong militia presence. Shamavu led a team concealed as potential buyers. Â They were dressed in civilian dress but with their weapons at hand. Â Contact was made with the suspects, but unfortunately they were unable to see the gorilla, so they were forced to pull out. Â It was a tense and frustrating moment.
The three poachers who were arrested in the operation hold the small backpack that they had stuffed the gorilla into.
On Thursday, he received a second message that a baby gorilla was in town, so we relaunched the operation. Christian Shamavu and his team of four rangers and one court officer once again drove for eight hours to the remote town in a hired vehicle to avoid being recognized. This time, it all went like clockwork. Â He called in at six thirty last night, announcing that they had made three arrests and recovered the baby gorilla.
Shamavu arrived at Rumangabo with the baby this morning, and the vets arrived an hour or so later. After an examination of the baby’s teeth and size, the Gorilla Doctors guessed the age at about a year and a half and said he appears healthy except for a possible skin fungus and lice. He will stay at the Senkwekwe Center at Rumangabo for a 30-day quarantine, separate from the other orphan gorillas, and then hopefully move to the Grauer’s gorilla sanctuary in Congo called Grace.
The baby will be named Shamavu after the ranger who rescued him.
To see more photos on our Facebook page, click here.
Christian Shamavu takes the infant out of the cage to take him to the Gorilla Orphan Senkwekwe Center.
Baby Grauer’s gorilla.
The infant gorilla seems to feel secure in the arms of his rescuer, Christian Shamavu.
Christian Shamavu carries the baby down to the Senkwekwe Center where the baby will live for the next month.
Christian Shamavu and the infant gorilla.
Infant gorilla
Christian Shamavu plays with the baby while he waits for the vets to arrive.
Two gorilla vets with MGVP arrived from Goma to check on the baby. The teeth were checked first, which tells the age of the gorilla. They estimated the age at about one and a half years old.
Dr. Jan and Dr. Jacques examine the gorilla’s back and under his arms. They found what might be a fungus on his skin, and lice.
Dr. Jan examines the baby while Christian-Shamavu holds it. At first, the baby didn’t want anyone else to hold him.
The infant gorilla appeared to warm up to Dr. Jan Ramer and feel comfortable.
Dr. Jan Ramer set the baby down after he had been held constantly for the previous hour. The baby wasn’t sure if he wanted to be picked up again, but finally gave in.
Warden Emmanuel de Merode holds the baby gorilla.
Wrestling Gorillas Video
August 20th, 2009 by Pierre
The orphan gorillas Amani and Kighoma are going from strength to strength and have become best friends at the DFGFI facility in Goma. Here is the latest video shot by Andre which shows the boisterous youngsters playing rough:
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Another Gorilla Dies at Tshiaberimu
July 21st, 2009 by Pierre
We were saddened to hear the news from the Gorilla Organisation that another gorilla has died at Tshiaberimu. The silverback Kanindo died from a fall down a ravine and is the 7th gorilla to die there in 2 years, bringing this fragile population to just 16 individuals.
For more details, please see Kyungu’s blog on WildlifeDirect and the GO website.
Latest Video of the Orphan Gorillas
July 20th, 2009 by Pierre
Amani the orphan gorilla is doing well and has become good friends with her new companions Kighoma and Mapendo. Here is the latest video from Andre who filmed them playing and climbing:
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Amani Meets New Gorilla Companions
June 28th, 2009 by Pierre
Amani has been succesfully moved to the DFGFI facilities and has been introduced to fellow orphan gorilla Kighoma and visually introduced to Mapendo.
The introduction has so far gone well and it was fascinating to see the reactions of the three different gorillas to each other. None had seen another of their species in a long time- in Mapendo’s case, more than 18 months since her rescue in January 2008.
As you can see from the video, Amani was very confident and happy to finally have a playmate!
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Amani to Meet Gorilla Playmate
June 22nd, 2009 by Pierre
The rescued baby gorilla Amani is going to have a gorilla playmate soon. She has gone from strength to strength and has recovered well from her bullet wound. Veterinary tests on her and the male gorilla “Kighoma” being cared for by DFGFI have come up clear, so the decision has been made to put them together.
So later this week Amani is going to move in with Kighoma. It has been months since she was rescued at Goma airport and was probably in captivity for months before that, so it has been a long time since she has seen another gorilla.
It will be very interesting to see how they react to each other, but since they are about the same age and size, we hope that they will become playmates and good companions.
As always, we will tell you know how it goes right here on the blog. In the meantime, here are some pics I took of playful Amani this morning:
Amani putting weight on her injured leg
Baby Gorilla Amani Learns to Climb Again (Video)
June 9th, 2009 by Pierre
As you can see from the video below, the orphan gorilla Amani is recovering well from her gunshot wound and is starting to climb the trees and climbing frames in her enclosure.
Andre tells me she is even making nests by folding over branches, just as she would have seen her mother do in the wild. The strength and determination of this little gorilla is impressive…
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Video- Amani Playing
May 24th, 2009 by Pierre
Here is the latest video from the rescued baby gorilla Amani:
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Video: Vets X-ray Baby Gorilla Amani’s Leg
May 15th, 2009 by Pierre
On Wednesday the MGVP team of veterinarians (consisting of Dr Magda, Dr Eddy, and Dr Jacques) again had a look at Amani’s leg, this time armed with an x-ray machine.
They were able to determine that the wound in her right leg was probably due to a gunshot, but thankfully the bullet is not still inside. There is some bone damage, but Dr Magda was able to remove more bits of bone and patched up the leg again. Read the full story »
Baby Gorilla Ihirwe
April 11th, 2012 by Emmanuel
Baby gorilla Ihirwe has been well taken care of in Rwanda by MGVP Vets and caretakers.
Many of you will remember the incident last August where Rwandan police intercepted poachers crossing the border from Congo with a baby gorilla, later named Ihirwe by the gorilla doctors at MGVP. Based on interrogation of the poachers, it was believed the baby was a mountain gorilla from Virunga, but without DNA testing, it could not be proven. If Ihirwe was a mountain gorilla, she would have been brought to Virunga’s Senkwekwe Orphan Gorilla Center, the only sanctuary for critically endangered mountain gorillas in the world.
Baby gorilla Ihirwe on the day she was rescued from poachers in August 2011.
The DNA test results confirmed this week that she is NOT a mountain gorilla as originally believed, but an eastern lowland Grauer’s gorilla. Although we looked forward to receiving her at Senkwekwe Center, we are very happy to know that none of the mountain gorillas died or were poached in this incident.
Ihirwe will be transferred to the GRACE sanctuary west of Butembo in Congo to join a large family of other Grauer’s orphan gorillas. We wish her a long happy life.
Poached Baby Grauer’s Gorilla Rescued by Virunga Rangers
October 7th, 2011 by Emmanuel
Christian Shamavu, the ranger who led the team in the undercover operation to rescue the baby gorilla, opens the cage door and greets the baby when they arrive at the park headquarters of Rumangabo.
A small team of Virunga rangers played undercover cops this week when they posed as buyers for a poached baby gorilla.
It all started two weeks ago when Christian Shamavu, our dog unit team leader, received a call from some of his contacts about a baby gorilla trafficking ring. Â Sadly, we’ve now had several such incidences, and a system has been set up to track down the offenders, bring them to justice and recover the baby gorilla.
A first undercover team was sent in to Kaina in the Lubero territory at the beginning of last week. This is a dangerous area with a strong militia presence. Shamavu led a team concealed as potential buyers. Â They were dressed in civilian dress but with their weapons at hand. Â Contact was made with the suspects, but unfortunately they were unable to see the gorilla, so they were forced to pull out. Â It was a tense and frustrating moment.
The three poachers who were arrested in the operation hold the small backpack that they had stuffed the gorilla into.
On Thursday, he received a second message that a baby gorilla was in town, so we relaunched the operation. Christian Shamavu and his team of four rangers and one court officer once again drove for eight hours to the remote town in a hired vehicle to avoid being recognized. This time, it all went like clockwork. Â He called in at six thirty last night, announcing that they had made three arrests and recovered the baby gorilla.
Shamavu arrived at Rumangabo with the baby this morning, and the vets arrived an hour or so later. After an examination of the baby’s teeth and size, the Gorilla Doctors guessed the age at about a year and a half and said he appears healthy except for a possible skin fungus and lice. He will stay at the Senkwekwe Center at Rumangabo for a 30-day quarantine, separate from the other orphan gorillas, and then hopefully move to the Grauer’s gorilla sanctuary in Congo called Grace.
The baby will be named Shamavu after the ranger who rescued him.
To see more photos on our Facebook page, click here.
Christian Shamavu takes the infant out of the cage to take him to the Gorilla Orphan Senkwekwe Center.
Baby Grauer’s gorilla.
The infant gorilla seems to feel secure in the arms of his rescuer, Christian Shamavu.
Christian Shamavu carries the baby down to the Senkwekwe Center where the baby will live for the next month.
Christian Shamavu and the infant gorilla.
Infant gorilla
Christian Shamavu plays with the baby while he waits for the vets to arrive.
Two gorilla vets with MGVP arrived from Goma to check on the baby. The teeth were checked first, which tells the age of the gorilla. They estimated the age at about one and a half years old.
Dr. Jan and Dr. Jacques examine the gorilla’s back and under his arms. They found what might be a fungus on his skin, and lice.
Dr. Jan examines the baby while Christian-Shamavu holds it. At first, the baby didn’t want anyone else to hold him.
The infant gorilla appeared to warm up to Dr. Jan Ramer and feel comfortable.
Dr. Jan Ramer set the baby down after he had been held constantly for the previous hour. The baby wasn’t sure if he wanted to be picked up again, but finally gave in.
Warden Emmanuel de Merode holds the baby gorilla.
Wrestling Gorillas Video
August 20th, 2009 by PierreThe orphan gorillas Amani and Kighoma are going from strength to strength and have become best friends at the DFGFI facility in Goma. Here is the latest video shot by Andre which shows the boisterous youngsters playing rough:
This may take some time...
Another Gorilla Dies at Tshiaberimu
July 21st, 2009 by PierreWe were saddened to hear the news from the Gorilla Organisation that another gorilla has died at Tshiaberimu. The silverback Kanindo died from a fall down a ravine and is the 7th gorilla to die there in 2 years, bringing this fragile population to just 16 individuals.
For more details, please see Kyungu’s blog on WildlifeDirect and the GO website.
Latest Video of the Orphan Gorillas
July 20th, 2009 by PierreAmani the orphan gorilla is doing well and has become good friends with her new companions Kighoma and Mapendo. Here is the latest video from Andre who filmed them playing and climbing:
This may take some time...
Amani Meets New Gorilla Companions
June 28th, 2009 by PierreAmani has been succesfully moved to the DFGFI facilities and has been introduced to fellow orphan gorilla Kighoma and visually introduced to Mapendo.
The introduction has so far gone well and it was fascinating to see the reactions of the three different gorillas to each other. None had seen another of their species in a long time- in Mapendo’s case, more than 18 months since her rescue in January 2008.
As you can see from the video, Amani was very confident and happy to finally have a playmate!
This may take some time...
Amani to Meet Gorilla Playmate
June 22nd, 2009 by PierreThe rescued baby gorilla Amani is going to have a gorilla playmate soon. She has gone from strength to strength and has recovered well from her bullet wound. Veterinary tests on her and the male gorilla “Kighoma” being cared for by DFGFI have come up clear, so the decision has been made to put them together.
So later this week Amani is going to move in with Kighoma. It has been months since she was rescued at Goma airport and was probably in captivity for months before that, so it has been a long time since she has seen another gorilla.
It will be very interesting to see how they react to each other, but since they are about the same age and size, we hope that they will become playmates and good companions.
As always, we will tell you know how it goes right here on the blog. In the meantime, here are some pics I took of playful Amani this morning:
Amani putting weight on her injured leg
Baby Gorilla Amani Learns to Climb Again (Video)
June 9th, 2009 by PierreAs you can see from the video below, the orphan gorilla Amani is recovering well from her gunshot wound and is starting to climb the trees and climbing frames in her enclosure.
Andre tells me she is even making nests by folding over branches, just as she would have seen her mother do in the wild. The strength and determination of this little gorilla is impressive…
This may take some time...
.
Video- Amani Playing
May 24th, 2009 by PierreHere is the latest video from the rescued baby gorilla Amani:
This may take some time...
.
Video: Vets X-ray Baby Gorilla Amani’s Leg
May 15th, 2009 by PierreOn Wednesday the MGVP team of veterinarians (consisting of Dr Magda, Dr Eddy, and Dr Jacques) again had a look at Amani’s leg, this time armed with an x-ray machine.
They were able to determine that the wound in her right leg was probably due to a gunshot, but thankfully the bullet is not still inside. There is some bone damage, but Dr Magda was able to remove more bits of bone and patched up the leg again. Read the full story »
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News from Congo- Report: Congo mutineer forces 149 more boys, young men to fight - Los Angeles Times
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- Congo Police Investigate Former PM for Corruption - Voice of America
- Congo: Peacekeepers Wounded - New York Times
- NEWSMAKER-Goodlace a calm hand for Implats tiller - Reuters
- 'Screaming Eagle' Soldiers oversee demining in Democratic Republic of the Congo - United States Army (press release)
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