Surely you’ve seen this selfie of a ranger with two gorillas posing in a natural park in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has gone viral. But the rangers in this part of Africa don’t just have fun with the animals, they risk their lives. A few days after the selfie in question, a ranger in the nearby Kahuzi-Biega Natural Park was killed by Pygmies.
The Virunga National Park in the DRC is one of the most dangerous in the world. For decades, mountain gorillas have been victims of poaching, deforestation, disease, and civil wars. More than 600 rangers work to protect them, sometimes risking their own lives.
Rebel groups and militias still control large parts of the territory. In 2018, five rangers and a driver were killed in an ambush by the local armed militia. In all, 175 rangers have died defending the Virunga over the past twenty years.
Oil exploration is another threat to this UNESCO World Heritage site. In 2018, the DRC authorized drilling in part of the protected parks of Virunga and Salonga. “There is the situation of armed conflict, the pressure of several industries, oil but not only: there is also agricultural expansion, mining and others that threaten the park.“, worries Emmanuel de Merode, director of the Virunga National Park.
Despite these threats, the number of mountain gorillas is increasing: there are more than 1000 in Africa, 60% of which are in Virunga National Park. This increase is the result of relentless efforts, notably with community support projects, veterinary care, cross-border cooperation between governments and NGOs, and finally regulated tourism.