He has spoken about his work and the work of the rangers of Virunga in a TEDxWWF talk, "A story of conflict, renewal and hope". The heartwarming snaps were taken at Congo’s Virunga National Park on Thursday, days after one ranger died in the line of action. Joining the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature in 1996, at age 23, working … Virunga 2014 TV-MA 1h 40m Science & Nature Docs The Oscar-nominated true story of the rangers risking their lives to save Africa's most precious national park and its endangered gorillas. Trucks carrying charcoal on the public road from Rumangabo to Goma. Life of Virunga Rangers: Unlike other parks in Eastern Africa and the DRC, the rangers in Virunga have more work and this put their life to risk more than any other rangers.. With a history of insecurity in the DRC and other rebel activities, rangers here almost give up their lives just for the sake of conservation. Visit Virunga National Park. It was the latest deadly incident in the park, where more than 150 rangers have been killed since 2006. Park Director Emmanuel de Merode says: “Since the war started in 1996, about 160 rangers have died. Under his leadership, the Virunga park opened to the public again in 2014. Since the war started in 1996, about 160 rangers … The park, with support from Leonardo DiCaprio, Global Wildlife Conservation, Emerson Collective, and the European Commission, launched a Virunga Fund earlier this year to provide urgent support to the park to deliver critical disease prevention efforts, law enforcement, and the protection of its wildlife, in addition to supporting the families of rangers who have fallen in the line of duty. Emmanuel de Merode and the rangers of Virunga National Park were named National Geographic Explorers of the Year in 2015. "DRC: Rangers, Civilians Killed In Attack In Virunga National Park". It was founded primarily to protect the gorillas living in the forest of the Virunga Mountains controlled by the Belgian Congo, but later expanded north to include the Rwindi Plains, Lake Edward and the Rwenzori Mountain in the far north. The Virunga National Park rangers are a highly trained fighting force, prepared to sacrifice their lives for the park and their people. The park was founded in 1925 by King Albert 1 of Belgium and originally known as Albert National Park, the first national park on the continent of Africa. The Virunga national park currently has over 689 male and female active rangers enforcing the conservation and protection of the park’s resources as well as the local communities serving all the four sectors of the Virunga national park that is the north, south, central and lake sector. The professionalism of all the Park Staff (rangers, tourism office, lodge managers, etc) is second-to-none. The snare was cutting off blood supply to his arm and putting the baby gorilla at risk for infection and even death. Virunga rangers massacred. It is with great sadness that the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) confirms the identities of the Virunga Park Rangers and employees who tragically lost their lives as a result of the attack that occurred this morning at 11 am on Route Nationale 2 near the headquarters of Virunga National Park in Rumangabo. Militia groups cut down natural forest in and around the park to produce charcoal, which they then sell to roughly 3 million people that live in the region, most of whom have no access to electricity. Virunga National Park offers visitors a range of exceptional and diverse treks. The park will be closed until 2019, after the kidnapping of two tourists and a guide, and the killing of a park ranger. Park officials of Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo report a park ranger was shot and killed when their patrol was ambushed by rebel militia. April 1 - May 11, 2018: When 25-year-old Virunga Park Ranger, Rachel Masika Baraka, was killed on May 11th, 2018, she became the eighth casualty that year in a war pitting brave rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park against rebel militia groups. Suspected Hutu militiamen have killed 16 people, including 12 rangers, in the Virunga national park, a Democratic Republic of the Congo government official has said, in … Updated Statement from Virunga National Park on Recent Attack. We have been to Virunga National Park twice, the most recent in February 2020. Ranger Mathieu Shamavu said he captured the image of the two primate posers at Virunga National Park, and it has since gone viral on social media among anti-poaching groups. The Virunga National Park needs continued support and funding. Two other civilians […] For decades, anti-government rebels and local militia groups have besieged the park, waging war with Virunga’s team of about 700 rangers tasked with protecting the park and its visitors. Virunga National Park, home to the iconic mountain gorilla as well as elephants and hippos, faces an increasingly uncertain future as its protectors deal with the impacts of Ebola, COVID-19, and this recent attack. Life of Virunga Rangers Life of Virunga Rangers. Twelve rangers, their driver, and four civilians were killed near the famous Virunga National Park headquarters on Friday (24 April) in what Game Rangers Association of Africa described as a “horrific roadside ambush”. We would ask anyone who has been moved by the issues in the film or who wants to help support the brave rangers of Virunga in their vital work to visit the park’s own website and donate directly to them: Elephants in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A different kind of war also looms over Virunga. Bagurubumwe Chuhoze Deogene . In the 2017 National Geographic interview, Park Director Emmanuel de Merode also spoke about the park rangers: The hardest part of my job is having to bury the men that have been entrusted to me. On Friday April 24th, twelve Virunga park rangers tragically lost their lives whilst protecting local civilians from an armed attack by a militia group. A park ranger's selfie with two orphaned gorillas is going viral. Rangers in Congo’s Virunga National Park risked their lives to save a 2-year-old gorilla trapped in a poacher’s snare.. Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the Congolese wildlife authority, has an agreement with Direction Générale de Migration (DGM), the Congolese immigration service, to facilitate obtaining 2-week, single entry tourist visas for people visiting Virunga National Park. His role in maintaining the Park's administration during the M23 Rebellion was covered in the oscar-nominated British documentary Virunga. Virunga National Park, 2020. Visit Virunga National Park. Goma Tourism; Goma Hotels; Goma Bed and Breakfast; Goma Vacation Rentals; Goma Vacation Packages; Flights to Goma; Goma Restaurants; Things to Do in Goma; Goma Travel Forum Several people, including rangers, have been killed in an attack in Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Photo by Nicole Macheroux-Denault. The baby gorilla named Theodore was found entangled in an illegal snare and the rangers needed to act fast to save him. The rangers in the iconic Virunga National Park protect one of the world's remaining mountain gorilla populations. Virunga National Park Ranger Bagurubumwe Chuhoze Deogene, 47, Mira Fong, 74, and Jennifer Woods, 58, died on October 10, September 6, and August 22, 2020, respectively, having in common almost nothing in their life histories except their dedication to animals. At least 12 rangers have been killed by suspected members of a Rwandan rebel group in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Being a ranger, however, is not always fun - it is mainly dangerous work. Twelve rangers and five other people were killed in Virunga National Park in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday. You will not regret going; in fact, it will most likely be one of the most positive and memorable experiences of your life. Four other rangers were severely wounded, of which one remains in a critical condition, according to Virunga National Park. 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