Gorilla Journal Journal of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe No. 39, December 2009

Surveys for Itom- Exclusion of Go- Trip to Uganda and Bushmeat Inves- bwe and Protec- rillas from their Initiation of an Aid tigation in Log- tion of Great Apes Ranges in Saram- Project ging Concessions bwe BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Authors of this Issue and his passion for travelling led him CONTENTS to initiate the project “Mountains of the D. R. Congo 3 Fidele Amsini is the Wildlife Con- Moon”. The Groups Mufanzala and Birindwa servation Society (WCS) project man- Deo Kujirakwinja is currently study- after the Death of their Silverbacks 3 ager for the Kahuzi-Biega National ing for a Masters in Conservation Biol- Surveys for Itombwe and Protection Park and the Itombwe Massif. He has ogy at the University of Cape Town. He of Great Apes 4 been undertaking surveys of wildlife in manages WCS’s Albertine Rift work in Death of another Gorilla at Mt. eastern Congo for over 15 years. eastern Congo and is one of Congo’s Tshiaberimu 5 Dr. Thomas Breuer has been work- leading ornithologists. Exclusion of Gorillas from their ing for WCS as the principal investiga- Eddy Mbuyi studied biochemistry Ranges in the Sarambwe Reserve 5 tor of the Mbeli Bai Study in the Noua- and IT. Currently he is working with the Gorilla Visits in Virunga National Park 8 balé-Ndoki National Park since 2002, rangers of Virunga National Park and Uganda 9 studying the social organisation and with the team running its website, www. Trip to Uganda and the Initiation of behaviour of western gorillas. He has gorilla.cd. an Aid Project 9 also been leading the local conserva- Aaron Nicholas is the Director of Rwanda 10 tion education program Club Ebobo in the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Death of Titus 10 the villages surrounding the park. Takamanda-Mone Landscape Project, Cross River 11 Prof. Dr. Montserrat Colell works with the core focus of conserving the Reforming 28 Gorilla Hunters in at the Department of Psychiatry and Cross River gorilla in Cameroon. Cross River National Park – Nigeria 11 Psychobiology of the University of Bar- Radar Birhashirwa Nishuli has Gorilla Guardians Gain Momentum 12 celona (Spain). She conducted fi eld re- been working in the Kahuzi-Biega Na- Gorillas 14 search on the ethology and ecology of tional Park since 1985. He was the Life History Patterns of Western Go- bonobos and forest cercopithecines in Head of the Environmental Education rillas – Insights from Mbeli Bai 14 the Democratic Republic of the Congo Unit and is now Provincial Director, and Bushmeat-Investigation Trip to and Equatorial Guinea. Presently she responsible for the Kahuzi-Biega Na- Congo and Central African Republic 15 directs a line of research on the cogni- tional Park. Pygmies in Logging Concessions tive skills of nonhuman primates. Louis Nkonyu is WCS’s Conserva- and Reserves 17 Andrew Dunn has been Project tion Education Coordinator in Okwang- Obituary: Jordi Sabater Pí 20 Manager for the WCS biodiversity re- wo. Reading 22 search program in southeastern Niger- Dr. Andrew Plumptre is the Direc- New on the Internet 22 ia since 2004. He has been working tor of the Albertine Rift Programme of Berggorilla & Regenwald on biological survey and conservation WCS. He has been working in this re- Direkthilfe 23 projects in Africa since 1989. gion for more than 20 years support- Andreas Klotz is owner and man- ing conservation research and man- ager of the company TiPP 4 Medien- agement. Organization Address: produktion. For more than 25 years Papy Shamavu is WCS’s project Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe photography has been his hobby. This manager for Goma, with oversight of c/o Rolf Brunner activities in Virunga National Park as Lerchenstr. 5 well in eastern Congo. He is oversee- 45473 Muelheim, Germany Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 ing projects that address confl ict reso- E-mail [email protected] Editor: Dr. Angela Meder lution between local communities and Augustenstr. 122, 70197 Stuttgart, park staff as well as establishing moni- Website: Germany toring programs. http://www.berggorilla.org Fax +49-711-6159919 Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo con- E-mail [email protected] ducted a gorilla survey in the Maiko Bank Account: Translation and Proofreading: Ann National Park from 1989 to 1992. He Account number 353 344 315 DeVoy, Bettina and Andrew Grieser worked for the ICCN and the IUCN in Stadtsparkasse Muelheim, Germany Johns, Colin Groves Goma. Since 2004 he has been the co- Bank code number 362 500 00 Cover: A gorilla in Bwindi Impenetra- ordinator of the NGO VONA, and since IBAN DE06 3625 0000 0353 3443 15 ble National Park, Uganda 2008 he he has been our assistant in SWIFT-BIC SPMHDE3E Photo: www.mondberge.com the region.

2 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 D. R. CONGO

The Groups Mufanzala and Birindwa after the Death of their Silverbacks

After the death of the two silverbacks of these gorilla groups on March 26th and May 30th 2009, respectively, several friends of the gorillas of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) expressed interest in knowing how these groups have been doing since they lost their leading males. While Mufanzala died from a liver abscess, Birindwa seemingly died of old age: his autopsy did not indicate any disease. Members of gorilla groups transfer to other groups either during the inter- action of two males, when the weaker silverback may lose members of his group to the stronger male, or after the death of a silverback. In this case, the leaderless group is fragile and is sus- Vice Governor Jean Claude Kibala and Minister Sebastien Ngomirakiza ceptible to splitting up when they come during the unveiling of the gorilla statue at Tshivanga into contact with another group, be it Photo: Radar Nishuli/Kahuzi-Biega National Park habituated or un-habituated. In the case of Mufanzala, the team the economy of Kivu Province. As part peal to their conscience, such that of guides and trackers continues to fol- of this process, the Kahuzi-Biega Na- they adopt a positive attitude towards low the now leaderless group, which tional Park is preparing to participate the protection of their heritage. It also continues to range through the same in the economic upturn through the de- serves to raise awareness of the fact forest sectors as during the time when velopment and promotion of responsi- that tourism is an income-generating their silverback was still with them. A ble tourism. With this in mind, the park industry invaluable for the reconstruc- young silverback is trying to keep the approached the political, administrative tion and the development of the Demo- group together, despite the fact that a and traditional authorities – as well as cratic Republic of the Congo in general, number of females tend to split off for a all those responsible for state services – and Kivu Province in particular. Their duration of 3 or 4 days at a time. to Tshivanga on the occasion of Inter- involvement in the conservation of the As far as the Birindwa group is con- national Tourism Day (which is cele- KBNP is an absolute requirement for cerned, a young silverback joined the brated on September 27th each year). this. The event was also an appropriate group after the death of Birindwa. He The authorities were invited to visit the opportunity for the unveiling of the stat- now seems to have taken charge of the different tourism attractions and expe- ue that the park managers have erect- females. However, even those group rience the wonders of Kahuzi-Biega. ed at the park entrance on the occasion members who had begun to tolerate The attendance of Jean Claude Kibala, of the International Year of the Gorilla. the presence of humans a few months Vice Governor of the Province and the Radar Nishuli ago no longer do so because the new head of the delegation, encouraged the male does not tolerate people’s pres- park authorities and rangers, as did his We are very grateful to all the people ence. During contacts with guides and promises to spare no effort to perse- who assist us in the protection of the trackers he charges and drives the fe- cute any persons violating the territory gorillas and their habitat in the Kahuzi- males into vegetation cover to hide. of the park. Biega National Park, whether they do The Government of the Democratic The objective of this event was not so from near or from afar. Republic of the Congo is making efforts only to show the decision-makers the to pacify the region and to stimulate wonders of the park but also to ap-

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Surveys for Itombwe and Its unique range of habitats includes ocratic Republic of the Congo’s great various highland forest formations, apes and the endemic biodiversity of Protection of Great Apes bamboo, moorland heath, miombo- the Albertine Rift. A properly gazetted The Wildlife Conservation Society moist forest transitions, and a high el- and managed protected area, encom- (WCS) has been undertaking biological evation forest savanna ecotone. It con- passing the massif and surrounding inventories in the Itombwe Massif since tains important populations of both the ecotones, is one of the most important 1995. This area holds the largest and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes conservation priorities for Congo. most remote block of intact montane schweinfurthii or marungensis) and the In 2006, WCS teams discovered two forest in Africa. The entire massif, an endangered Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla new sub-populations of gorillas that area of about 12,000 km2, includes an beringei graueri). were not identifi ed in the 1996 surveys unbroken block of forest; the central The Itombwe Massif represents one of the massif. These include some in massif, of about 6,500 km2, ranges up of the most signifi cant remaining new the south west and some in the north to 3,700 m in elevation. areas for the conservation of the Dem- of the central massif. These data need to be assessed in relation to the survey routes because not all areas of the cen- Lake tral massif have been visited. Interest- Parc National Kivu ingly gorillas are sighted quite close to de Kahuzi-Biega human habitation despite the fact that RWANDA they are hunted by people for meat. Bukavu Conservation Though it is remote, the Itombwe Massif is confronted by a number of threats, Mwenga including mining, artisanal logging, wild DEMOCRATIC Mt. Mohi fi res, a major increase in hunting, and BURUNDI REPUBLIC (3,464 m) pressure from human populations that are converting the forest for agriculture OF THE CONGO Uvira Bujumbura and pastures. A decade of confl ict has led to wide availability of arms and ammunition, and some areas remain under the control of small bands of rebels. These threats are growing and, com- bined, these pressures are threatening the biological integrity of the massif and Itombwe Baraka Massif critical populations of chimpanzees Lake and gorillas. In addition, these threats Tanganyika have contributed to the fragmentation of the great apes’ habitats, with the go- Fizi rilla the most affected and its very ex- central massif istence seriously compromised. Stud- ies conducted by WCS teams in 2006, additional areas TANZANIA although not covering the entire massif, gorilla sign 1996 Kigoma have recorded a dramatic decrease in the number of gorilla populations com- gorilla sign 2006 pared to 1996 surveys. Conservation border Boko of the massif and its great apes must happen quickly before these biological treasures are compromised or lost. Map of the Itombwe Massif, the proposed conservation areas and gorilla A large number of people live in the distribution areas Adapted from original maps by WCS central massif of Itombwe. If we esti-

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mate about 6 people per household RNI area has to move beyond the ini- opment, health and education amongst then there are about 31,530 people tial contacts and discussion of the past other things could help support the lo- in the houses we have identifi ed from decade to their real participation in the cal population. the aerial photography and therefore protection of the massif and its apes. Andrew Plumptre, Fidele Amsini, Papy about 5.4 people per km2 in the region. WCS is now working with ICCN, Shamavu and Deo Kujirakwinja Therefore, any planning for conserva- WWF and the Rainforest Foundation tion of this region needs to incorporate to consult with the local communities some form of zoning that would include and develop a participatory zoning of Exclusion of Gorillas the needs of the local people as well as the reserve that would establish core from their Ranges in the the conservation of the incredible biodi- protection zones with buffer areas and Sarambwe Reserve versity found here. corridors where forest resources could The presence of the large number be harvested but no hunting would take Five protected areas within the Virunga of people in the massif is having an im- place, and also development zones landscape are of great value, both from pact on the wildlife of the massif, par- where support for infrastructure devel- a conservation and tourism perspective. ticularly the large mammals and birds. These areas are the Virunga National The ornithological team reported that it Park and the Sarambwe Reserve in the was very surprising how few large birds Death of another Democratic Republic of the Congo, the were observed when compared with Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, other forests they have surveyed in the Gorilla at Mt. and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Albertine Rift region. Snaring in par- Tshiaberimu Park and the Mgahinga Gorilla National ticular was common. The fi eld teams The silverback male Kanindo Park in Uganda. The Volcanoes National were regularly offered bushmeat, in- from the tiny gorilla population on Park, the Virunga National Park and cluding primate meat, while in the mas- Mt. Tshiaberimu died after falling the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sif and it was clear that near villages down a ravine. He was thought to adjoin each other, as do the Sarambwe large mammals were very scarce. If be in his late twenties or older. He Reserve and the Bwindi Impenetrable large mammals are to survive in the is the seventh gorilla to die in the National Park (BINP). massif then there is a need to create region in just over 2 years. There Together, these 5 protected areas relatively large areas that are isolated are now just 16 gorillas in this contain an endemic gorilla subspecies: from human hunting and these areas isolated population. the mountain gorilla Gorilla beringei may need to be linked by corridors to It appears that Kanindo fell beringei. About 70% of the mountain maintain viable populations. down a gully at the edge of the gorilla population is habituated to the In September 2006, partly as a re- park and probably spent 4 days presence of humans and most of those sult of these surveys, the Ministry of paralysed before he was discov- groups are used for the purpose of eco- Environment gazetted the Reserve Na- ered. He was unable to move, tourism. As the price that the tourists turelle de l’Itombwe (RNI). However, and he could not be lifted out. must pay for a one-hour visit to the this was done very rapidly without any Vets from Conservation Through mountain gorillas is very high, this type consultations with the local communi- Public Health (CTPH) and track- of tourism is very selective. Prices vary ties, and led to much friction between ers stayed with him for 3 days in the different countries: in the Demo- them and ICCN (Institut Congolais pour fi ghting unsuccessfully to save cratic Republic of the Congo tourists la Conservation de la Nature) as a re- him. Kanindo died just before pay US$ 400, while in Rwanda and sult. There are also no clear bound- 18:00 h on 11 July 2009. A vet- Uganda the price is US$ 500. There is aries in the gazettement document, erinary assessment found frac- nonetheless a great demand. In coun- only an indication of the area where tures and signs of a heavy fall. tries where the security situation is sta- the reserve should be established. He was buried at a livestock farm ble (i.e. in Rwanda and Uganda), avail- There was a need for further surveys at the edge of the park where able places are often fully booked in to help establish where the boundaries he was well-known to the farm- advance, especially during holiday pe- should be drawn, in particular in the er, who said he was very fond of riods. two sectors with potentially very impor- the gorilla. A maximum of 8 tourists are allowed tant great ape populations – North Ul- Summary of a News Release by to visit a gorilla group if it itself consists indi and West Mwana. Finally, partici- The Gorilla Organization of more than 8 gorillas. The maximum pation of the local communities in the possible annual revenue generated by

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one gorilla group in the three differ- Sarambwe Reserve was recently set second such report. Observations ent countries is US$ 1,152,000 in the up in order to protect the gorillas which of gorillas conducted in Sarambwe Congo and US$ 1,440,000 in Rwan- range there. As a consequence, the between 2001 and 2008 indicate that da and Uganda (360 full capacity vis- sale of permits for land use was sus- two gorilla groups and one lone animal its per year). However, the number of pended and the management of the occur there. The observations of gorillas tourists does not always reach maxi- area was taken over by the ICCN, who are listed below in chronological order mum capacity. If we assume an aver- had been working towards the gazet- (according to Sarambwe monitoring age of 75% capacity, the revenue gen- ting of the area with the intention of de- reports). erated by one gorilla group amounts to veloping tourism. Since 1997, the International Gorilla US$ 864,000 in the Congo and US$ Conservation Programme (IGCP) has 1,080,000 in Rwanda and Uganda. The The History of Gorilla Observations initiated a number of training and ca- potential income is considerable. Ef- in Sarambwe pacity building events, including eco- forts must be made for conservation to Although it is very likely that gorillas tourism management and monitoring, succeed and to remedy any problems ranged into Sarambwe even before for the staff from the fi ve protected are- that might arise from tourism. 1995, it was in that year that a as. Almost all the partners have contrib- Before a gorilla group can be vis- local organisation called AJAKAR uted to the provision of fi eld equipment ited by tourists, a great effort must be (Association of the Young Friends of and materials. In order to promote re- invested in habituating it to the pres- Kacheche in Rutshuru) informed the gional collaboration and facilitate con- ence of humans. In the Congo, gorilla public about the presence of gorillas servation, the IGCP has also initiated eco-tourism started up in 1986 and has there. In 1998, AJAKAR announced for a joint patrolling programme between continued ever since – with interrup- the fi rst time that un-named Ugandans staff of different countries. Thus rang- tions due to various wars and periods had entered the area to drive the ers from Bwindi and Sarambwe hap- of insecurity in the area. Gorillas were Sarambwe gorillas from Congo into pened to be on a joint patrol in and discovered in Sarambwe in 1995: the Uganda. In 1999, ICCN received a around Sarambwe at the time that the

Date Location Number of Observation: individuals/signs animals observed 16/11/2001 Rukubira 1 tracks and faeces 21/02/2002 Bizenga 18 Counted 18 individuals. This group was visited by tourists in the company of BINP rangers. Subsequently, the group was pressured by humans to return to BINP. 16/07/2002 Bizenga 1 tracks and faeces 28/10/2002 Nyabwishenyi 1 sighting of one solitary male 31/10/2002 Kikumiliro 1 sighting of one solitary male 03/11/2002 Kakangaga 1 tracks and faeces 28/01/2003 Kikumiliro 1 sighting of one solitary male 13/11/2005 Bizenga 1 tracks and faeces 14/11/2005 Rusura 2 tracks and faeces 07/12/2005 Bizenga 1 tracks and faeces 06/07/2008 Kakangaga 7 Faeces and nests. The family was driven back to BINP in Uganda by UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) rangers. 11/09/2008 16 The Rushegura group appeared and stayed. This is a group from Uganda which is habituated to tourists. 09/10/2008 17 A baby gorilla was born into the Rushegura group and called “Demerode”. 11/11/2008 17 The Rushegura group remained in Sarambwe. After another baby gorilla was born, the group fi nally returned to Bwindi at the end of February. 11/03/2009 18 The Rushegura group returned to Sarambwe. On 24/07/2009, it was driven back into Uganda.

Note: No entry in the second column of the table means that the gorillas ranged widely in the Sarambwe Reserve.

6 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 D. R. CONGO

signs that a group of people had just Subsequently, when the monitor- Mt. Sarambwe visited the gorillas. Just as they were ing team went into Sarambwe to lo- Kukumiliro preparing to return to their base they cate the gorillas, they were surprised Sarambwe UGANDA received a message to meet four Buho- to fi nd the tracks of several people in Rukubira Réserve Kabumba ma rangers in Kabumba (we will not a broad semi-circle, moving towards name these rangers). Uganda. The signs included foot and Naturelle Bi- de Sarambwe zenga Rusura The rangers referred to an invita- shoe prints, and bushes and branch- Kakangaga tion by the Sarambwe monitoring team es cut by machetes. When the team Buhoma to meet at the border in order to dis- asked a woman harvesting beans in cuss the gorillas’ movements sched- the area, this woman – of Ugandan de- Bwindi uled for 26 July. They requested that scent – informed them that on the day Impenetrable D. R. CONGO the Sarambwe team return quickly to before, just after the Sarambwe rang- National Park their ranger post as it was absolute- ers had returned to their base, a large ly necessary to arrange the meeting group of people arrived with horns and for the next day (25 July). After some machetes and surrounded the gorilla Nteko hours, the Sarambwe rangers heard group. The people made a lot of noise, horns and a lot of other noise originat- shouting and sounding their horns, and Adapted from a map by WWF/PeVi ing near the border. They had no idea moved forward in a semi-circle in order what was going on. to drive the gorillas back into Uganda. Rushegura group returned to the Dem- The next day, the Congolese group After they had crossed the border, the ocratic Republic of the Congo. As a re- who had received the message duly ar- Ugandans made even more noise in sult, no incidents happened. In addi- rived at the meeting point. It consisted order to drive the gorillas further into tion, the IGCP has supported the de- of three traditional chiefs and two staff Uganda. velopment of collaboration protocols members of Sarambwe. However, no- It is most likely that there are fi nan- between the responsible people from one was waiting at the meeting point. cial motives behind the displacement the UWA, ORTPN and ICCN. These After several hours of waiting, the Con- of the gorilla group. As mentioned pre- protocols concern the habituated go- golese party returned to their homes viously, Ugandans have crossed the rillas which move from one country to without knowing why the Ugandans border into Sarambwe in the past and another, and may allow for tourists to had not turned up. have subsequently driven the gorillas cross borders to visit them. The proto- col also addresses the equal sharing of the revenue generated from tour- ists’ visits.

The Displacement of the Rushegura Group by Ugandans On 11 March 2009, the entire Ru- she gura group moved from Bwindi to Sarambwe, where it stayed until 24 July. On that date, an impressive group of Ugandans (including local residents, police offi cers, army offi cers and rangers) forcefully drove the gorilla group back into Uganda. How did this happen and what might be the reason? On 24 July, a team of Sarambwe rangers went into the reserve to fol- low the Rushegura group. After hav- ing found the gorillas at Kakangaga, the team noted from tracks and other Silverback of the Rushegura group Photo: Uwe Kribus

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back into Uganda. Once the Rushe- At the beginning of November another Sarambwe Reserve: Makale, Ru she- gura group has entered Congo, visits group moved to the Sarambwe Re- gura and Gahanga with 7 to 8 gorillas. cannot be organised from Uganda. En- serve: the unhabituated Makale group The latter is also unhabituated and quiries made by independent individu- that has 5 members. This shows that lives permanently in Sarambwe. als concerned about the conservation there are 3 gorillas families use the of the gorillas have revealed that these operations are conducted by Ugan- dans simply because they can no long- Gorilla Visits in Virunga National Park er benefi t from tourism revenues once the gorillas cross the border. The same Mountain gorilla tourism brings much needed revenue to the Virunga enquiries have indicated that UWA has National Park for the conservation effort – but it also brings the threat of attempted to enter into negotiations disease. Humans and gorillas share so much DNA, that we can easily with Congolese counterparts such that pass on our viruses and diseases to these animals that we are struggling tourists coming from the Ugandan side to protect. When a tourist, a ranger or anyone is visiting a family of gorillas, may still visit the gorillas if they have they should stay at least 7 m away from the animals. But sometimes the moved into Sarambwe, with an agree- gorillas themselves, out of sheer mischief or curiosity, come closer. ment to split the generated revenue So when we re-lauched tourism earlier this year, based on the advice evenly. However, ICCN had not yet re- of MGVP (Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project), we asked tourists to wear acted to this proposal. The silence of masks. It was a good decision. Tourists have been incredibly supportive ICCN gives cause for concern about and recognize the importance of protecting the gorillas for generations to the security of tourists. come. Eddy Mbuyi What are the Consequences of this Operation? This article was originally published in the blog of the Virunga National Park, The immediate result of this operation www.gorilla.cd, on October 3th, 2009. was the departure of the Rushegura Tourism in the Virunga National Park was started again in May 2009. group from Sarambwe to Uganda. Until October 23th more than 500 tourists had visited the park. Each person Subsequent to the displacement of the pays US$ 400, of which 30% go to the communities surrounding the park, gorilla group, two people were charged 20% is for conservation activities in Virunga National Park, and 50% go to and injured by the gorillas – they were ICCN in Kinshasa (more information on www.gorilla.cd). taken to a medical facility where they were taken care of. Are these two events connected with each other? The UWA rangers have acknowledged that the gorillas were displaced into Uganda but they have denied any involvement, as this would not give credence to the cross-border collaboration that they are supposedly trying to promote. This was not the fi rst time that the gorillas have been deliberately dis- placed. However, after raising this is- sue at several meetings between ICCN and UWA staff, we hope that there will not be a further repetition of the event. Both parties have expressed their con- cern and will work to sensitize the pop- ulation concerning the inherent dan- gers of such actions. Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo

8 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 UGANDA

Trip to Uganda and the Initiation of an Aid Project The project “Mountains of the Moon” was founded in the middle of 2008, with the aim of contributing to the protection of species through the production and marketing of different media products. Its objective is to use journalism to inform a broad public, to entertain and to inspire – in order to raise consciousness about and help the mountain gorillas. In January 2009 a team of 8 photo- graphers and authors travelled to Ugan- da. During a 9-day tour they visited the Rwenzori Mountains and different na- tional parks, including the mountain go- rillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On their return to Germany, they designed a book, postcards, posters, a DVD and a multimedia show with the material they collected during their trip. A fi xed part of the turnover of all these products is donated to the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe to support a joint long-term project in Uganda – a project Hand-over of displays and other Aid project materials to Martha Robbins which has now become a reality. on the fi rst evening Photo: www.mondberge.com On 31 October, 2009, we were fi nally off. Six of us, including 3 members of the ago, and can now be visited by tour- rica) was published, over 3,000 Euros Mountains-of-the-Moon photographers’ ists, although permits are currently sold were already available. We met Martha team, took the plane from Brussels to only by UWA (Uganda Wildlife Author- Robbins on the fi rst day, and the fol- Uganda, with an excess baggage of ity) and must be applied for 3 months in lowing day she accompanied us in and 100 kg! Our destination was Ruhija, advance. The fi rst lodges had opened around Ruhija. a small village close to Bwindi Im- their doors only a few weeks ago; in Of course, we did not want to miss penetrable National Park. After 8 hours contrast to sites such as Buhoma, Ru- the opportunity to track gorillas. It was in the plane and a 10-hour car journey hija still has almost no tourism infra- very exciting on this occasion to see re- we fi nally reached Ruhija without a structure. cently habituated gorillas that are visit- hitch, and we checked in for 3 nights Ruhija is the base of the ITFC (Insti- ed only rarely by tourists. After having at one of the three brand-new lodges, tute of Tropical Forest Conservation), been well briefed by Chris, our guide, situated in a very beautiful location on and for 4 months a year is the home of we entered the forest at around 9:00 a hilltop. Martha Robbins, who has been study- h, equipped with sticks and cameras. At approximately 2,500 m, Ruhija ing the life and the behaviour of the There was bright sunshine although it stands at the highest altitude of any Bwindi gorillas for 11 years. Before was the rainy season. Martha had al- town in the neighbourhood of Bwindi, our journey to Uganda we exchanged ready assured us that it probably would and on the fi rst evening we had a won- many emails with her: she worked with not take very long before we found the derful view of the Virunga Volcanoes ITFC to prepare our aid project in co- gorillas. chain further south from our lodge. ordination with Berggorilla & Regen- Around Ruhija, the forest is some- The Bitukura gorilla group was ha- wald Direkthilfe. Only 4 months after what denser and much steeper than in bituated here as recently as 9 months our book Perle Afrikas (The Pearl of Af- Buhoma. We walked downhill almost

9 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 UGANDA

all the time. And, yes, we found the tional income for the village. Women the vicinity of Bwindi National Park, Bitukura group after only 1 hour and from the village will soon offer it as a and therefore to contribute to the long- 5 minutes. At the moment, the group guided tour. We also intend to produce term conservation of the forest and the consists of 15 members, 4 of which a small, printed nature trail guide which mountain gorillas. It thus also address- are, unbelievably, silverbacks! Not all they will be able to sell to tourists. es one of the UN goals for the 2009 group members showed themselves to After visiting a primary school, a plan Year of the Gorilla. The project initia- us, but those who did remained visible was hatched to produce a “gorilla book” tion was witnessed by Veronika Lena- for long periods of time and in ideal in English and the local language. We rz, who represented UNEP/CMS (Unit- conditions for taking photographs. For will start on this new project as soon ed Nations Environment Programme/ example, at one point, 3 silverbacks sat as we receive the texts from Uganda. Convention on Migratory Species) dur- together on the forest path for several As requested, we had brought chalk, ing our trip to Ruhija. minutes. crayons, pens and maps; the children Andreas Klotz Each gorilla tracking is different; were very happy and entertained us every time it is a special experience! with several dances and songs. If you want to learn more about the The fi rst specifi c activity of the “Moun- The core function of the “Mountains project, please visit the web platform tains of the Moon” aid project was the of the Moon” aid project initiated by us www.mondberge.com production of 7 different large-size dis- is to support the training and aware- plays (1 x 1.8 m). These were designed ness raising of the local population in with texts written by Martha Robbins and photographs from our project and Martha Robbins. Four copies of each Rwanda: Death of Titus motif were printed and taken to Ugan- da. They will be used in Ruhija, Buho- On 14 September 2009, the silverback male Titus was found dead on his night ma, Nkuringo and Rushaga. nest. He was 35, which is quite old for a mountain gorilla male. Observers We had to roll up our sleeves and believe that his death was hastened by persistent challenges from his son. mount the fi rst set of displays in Ruhija A few weeks before his death, Titus’ 17-year-old son Umushikirano had ourselves. Hooks? Nails? Wires? Good returned after having been a lone silverback for 2 years. He made several ideas, but no one from the team had re- sexual overtures toward the female Tuck, despite Titus’ protests, and he membered to bring any. So we found an kept Titus on the move for several weeks. After some time, Titus became “African solution”: we pulled rusty and weak and the group stopped traveling. He remained in his nest, eating and bent nails out of a pile of old boards, moving very little. hammered them more or less straight Titus was born in 1974, observed by Dian Fossey and her research as- and after a short time the displays were sistant Kelly Stewart. His mother, the elderly Flossie, lived in Group 4, led up and being admired by us, and by the by Titus’ father, Uncle Bert. When he was 4 years old, poachers killed his local UWA staff and some tourists who father. His mother transferred to another group and Titus was left at age 5 had dropped in by chance. The dis- to live with a few unrelated males. The group remained all-male for sever- plays are to assist in educating tourists al years, until another group’s silverback died and 5 females came to join AND local residents about the gorillas – the bachelors. Titus succeeded in taking over the group when he was 17 printed in large, clear and simple words years old. they cannot easily be overlooked. The Titus maintained his dominance over a group of some 25 individuals for aim is to generate a better understand- many years. However, in 2007, son Kuryama began to provoke confronta- ing and ensure that the rules for goril- tions, until he simply split off with some of Titus’ followers and formed his la tracking are followed more closely. own group. Over the next 2 years females transferred to other groups, un- Martha Robbins was very happy about til Tuck remained as the only female. Three blackbacks and two juveniles the displays, and she will distribute the rounded out the group. remaining ones around Bwindi Impen- When Titus was found dead in his nest, the young male Ihumure was by etrable National Park. his side. Since his mother had left the group, Titus had taken care of him. A nature trail, which will take about Ihumure died soon after Titus. one-and-a-half hours to walk, will be Summary of a report by Veronica Vecellio established as another tourist attrac- on the DFGFI (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International) website. tion in Ruhija; this will generate addi-

10 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 CROSS RIVER

Reforming 28 Gorilla of the surrounding forest, are willing to as a source of income than as a source undertake the risky business of gorilla of protein and is no longer considered Hunters in Cross River hunting. Hunters report that gorillas are either to be a lucrative business or an National Park – Nigeria most commonly hunted at the onset of attractive occupation. Moreover there the dry season during October/Novem- is always the chance of arrest by na- As part of our efforts to improve the ber, when gorillas are said to descend tional park rangers – and most hunters protection of the critically endangered to the lowlands in search of water and interviewed expressed their willingness Cross River Gorilla in Nigeria, Wildlife food bringing them in closer proximity to give up hunting provided that an al- Conservation Society (WCS) aims to surrounding villages and enclaves. ternative means of income could be to reduce hunting levels by targeting At other times of the year gorillas are found for them. some of the region’s most notorious reported to favour the national park’s 28 of the most active hunters were hunters for training in alternative most inhospitable terrain such as the selected from 14 different communities livelihoods. Hunting was identifi ed as deep valleys and rocky areas of the closest to the known gorilla range for a major threat to the future existence highest mountains, presumably in an the training programme: rearing giant of gorillas in Nigeria as far back as attempt to avoid contact with human snails, the domestication of bush man- the 1930s. Although today Cross River activities in the surrounding areas of go and bee-keeping. gorillas are fully protected by law across lowland forest. their entire range, isolated cases of In addition to hunting, crop raiding Rearing Giant Snails poaching still occur, and the loss of by gorillas and other mammals is cur- Eight hunters were selected from even a few individuals poses a serious rently the source of some confl ict be- 4 support zone villages and each of threat to the viability of the population tween local people and Cross River them was provided with a modern snail given the small numbers surviving in National Park authorities. Crop raiding pen constructed from concrete bricks, the area. also tends to occur during the early dry plastic mosquito netting and aluminium In the past, gorillas were hunted season and involves crops such as ba- roofi ng sheets. Each pen was stocked along with other animals as a source nana and plantain. with 225 Giant West African snails of bushmeat. As their numbers have By targeting known hunters in and (Archachatina marginata). It is expected declined, and as awareness of their around the Okwangwo Division of that during the fi rst 6 months this initial protection status has grown the hunt- Cross River National Park we hope to stock will have grown to more than ing of gorillas has been reduced con- reduce the threat posed by hunting to 3,000 snails. Under good conditions siderably although the consumption the gorilla’s long-term survival and also giant snails grow rapidly and reach of gorilla meat is still widely believed improve the livelihood security of se- maturity after about one year. Snails to confer strength and the gruesome lected hunters. Hunting persists more are a highly prized delicacy among the practice of drinking palm wine from go- rilla skulls has not entirely disappeared. Despite the presence of more than 60 park rangers hunting of other species continues unabated throughout the Okwangwo Division of Cross River Na- tional Park and occasional reports are received from a remote village that a gorilla has been killed, though conclu- sive evidence to confi rm such incidents is often hard to come by. Hunting is generally a year-round activity but with a peak in the rainy sea- son when it becomes easier to move quietly on the forest fl oor. Our inter- action with hunters in 49 communities around Okwangwo revealed that only a limited number of the bravest hunt- Hunters demonstrate with bee suit and veil during training on bee-keeping ers, those with the widest knowledge in Butatong Photo: Louis Nkonyu

11 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 CROSS RIVER

local population but have been heavily stock and to reduce levels of distur- and at the same time reduce levels of depleted due to over-utilization. At bance inside the park. At the same time hunting and improve local livelihoods. current prices one snail sells for about it was hoped that the livelihood of se- Louis Nkonyu and Andrew Dunn 50 naira (about 30 US cents), so 1,000 lected hunters would be improved and snails could fetch as much as US$ 300. they would be discouraged from the We are grateful to the Arcus Foundation, A ready market exists to supply local hunting of endangered wildlife species the Great Ape Conservation Fund of the hotels and within the village itself where as a source of income generation. US Fish and Wildlife Service and the the demand is already high. Snails are Taronga Foundation for their fi nancial an excellent source of protein and the Bee Keeping support. start up costs and investment required Honey has high medicinal value and are relatively low by using locally its rate of local consumption is high. available snails and materials. Running Presently honey is harvested from Gorilla Guardians Gain costs are kept low because snails eat the wild, frequently from the national Momentum readily available vegetation such as park. The method used for harvesting the leaves of cassava, pawpaw and wild honey involves the use of fi re and Faced with the challenge of improving okra; consumption of household waste frequently results in the destruction of the monitoring of unprotected Cross is not recommended due to the high fragile montane habitat. 12 hunters River gorilla sites in Cameroon, the salt content. were selected from 9 support zone Gorilla Guardian community-based villages and received training on bee monitoring network was established at Domestication of Bush Mango keeping, colony management and the end of 2008 (see Gorilla Journal Bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) is a honey harvesting. Each hunter was 37). With a focus on the most vulnerable local delicacy used in preparing soup, provided with 5 modern Kenyan top- but important unprotected Cross River and is in high demand from local traders bar bee-hives constructed locally gorilla sites, our initial planning basically – it is collected from the wild and grows as well as other equipment needed consisted of identifying villages with commonly throughout Okwangwo. The for honey production such as bee- traditional forest rights over these sites; collection of bush mango is one of the suits, protective hats, rubber gloves, working with traditional authorities to major sources of income for forest smokers for honey harvesting, iron identify Gorilla Guardians from each communities; some studies estimate stands, and honey wax for the baiting of the 6 villages identifi ed in this that the sale of bush mango accounts of hives to attract bees. Local levels way, and then building the capacity for as much as 50% of the annual of demand for honey from bakeries, and understanding of the 6 selected household income. But harvesting the hotels, and pharmacists are high as Guardians in relation to basic gorilla wild fruit from the park is illegal and well as for household consumption. ecology, monitoring and national wildlife the proliferation of camps inside the It is hoped that honey could also be laws through training at the Kagwene park constructed for the collection of marketed for sale to tourists visiting the Gorilla Sanctuary. bush mango each year also serves to nearby Obudu Cattle Ranch. Each hive The Gorilla Guardians started moni- increase levels of hunting and fi shing. is expected to produce at least 5 litres toring their gorillas in the Mbulu forest, Eight hunters were selected from 6 of honey per season thereby providing Mawambi Hills and northern Mone For- support zone communities and trained each hunter with an annual income of est Reserve in January 2009 and since on bush mango domestication tech- roughly US$ 250. then, 3 WCS-led monitoring trips have niques, seed selection, nursery man- Whether or not these 28 hunters will visited each of these areas to work with agement and maintenance. Each hunt- be truly transformed as a result of these the Guardians and local hunters to re- er was also provided with 50 seedlings inputs remains to be seen, and an eval- view the information that has been col- of an improved variety of dry season uation of the project is planned after 12 lected. bush mango. Bush mango normally months. In order to have a signifi cant Two of the key initial expecta- bear fruit only after 12 years but with impact on hunting within the park this tions for the community-based Gorilla a special treatment called marcotting pilot project, if successful, will need to Guardian network were that 1) more the tree can be stimulated to produce be expanded to include more hunters regular basic monitoring data (status fruit after only 3 years. The aim is to en- and extended to other areas. We be- and distribution) would be generated courage domestication of bush mango lieve that the project has the potential in a more cost-effective manner and and other non-timber forest products to improve much-needed levels of local 2) the Guardians should act as inform- in order to reduce pressure on the wild support for conservation and the park, ants in relation to threats to gorillas in

12 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 CROSS RIVER

further conservation action, including Anape protected area Butatong protection of the gorillas in these ar- Akwaya gorilla distribution eas. We have also achieved some Afi Mountain national border Wildlife Okwangwo progress in relation to our second ex- gorilla guardian village Sanctuary Mbe pectation related to gaining a better un- proposed g. g. village Mountains derstanding of the threats faced by go- Afi River Takamanda Cross River Mbulu Forest rillas at different unprotected sites. We Forest Reserve National Forest Reserve Park CAMEROON have often promoted the fact that the Basho hunting of Cross River gorillas has not Kagwene taken place in recent years as a re- Gorilla Sanctuary Takamanda sult of increased community sensitiza- tion and greater conservation presence NIGERIA Mone in sites like Kagwene and Takaman- da. But, reports from Gorilla Guardians Manyu (Cross) River Mone River now confi rm that such statements may Forest Reserve not be entirely accurate and that a small Mamfe number of gorillas are still being killed Bechati- by poachers in unprotected sites in Fossimondi-Besali Cameroon. A good example of this was the report received from one Guardian that a gorilla had been recently killed in the northern part of Mone Forest Re- Adapted from a map by Richard Bergl, North Carolina Zoo serve. Further investigations revealed that this was indeed the case and that each site. A further expectation is that adjacent to the Mawambi Hills, working a male gorilla (undetermined age) was over time, as the role of the Guardians in collaboration with local hunters, 42 shot in November 2008 by a local hunt- becomes increasingly accepted within nest sites with a total of 269 nests were their communities, improved protection located and visited by WCS monitoring of their gorillas would also be achieved. teams from the fi rst 8 months of Goril- I am happy to report that progress has la Guardian monitoring alone. Records been made in relation to both of these from the other two Gorilla Guardian expectations. sites for the same period follow a simi- Historically, our monitoring of goril- lar positive pattern with 34 nest sites la presence in sites like the Mawambi having been located in northern Mone Hills, northern Mone and the Mbulu for- Forest Reserve (previous database to- est has been restricted to periodic rec- tal was 41 nest sites) and 43 nest sites ce-style surveys. Organised remote- in the Mbulu forest (previous database ly and at signifi cant cost, these forest total was 48 nest sites). were only visited by trained fi eld teams The fact that Gorilla Guardians are a few times in the last decade, normally helping generate signifi cantly more with a number of years between visits. nest site location data is important be- For example, the Mawambi Hills (just cause it is helping further defi ne the south of Takamanda National Park) areas being used by Cross River goril- were surveyed by Groves in 2001, las at these different unprotected sites. Bergl in 2003 and Ekinde and Warren This has implications in terms of im- in 2007 and in total, data from 33 nest proving our ecological understanding sites were collected during these visits. of Cross River gorilla distribution over Peter Tipa, Moses Takia and hunter Thanks to the work of Gorilla Guard- time and space, may provide an im- Prince Ebole with a gorilla nest ians Ferdinand Eyong and Simon Essa proved picture of connectivity between Photo: WCS Takamanda-Mone Land- Ncha from Awuri and Takpe villages different sites and will also help us plan scape Project, Cameroon

13 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

er. Although an investigation team was mature much faster than those in the unable to secure the physical evidence wild, because food provisioning under needed to secure the effective prose- captive conditions accelerates physical cution of the alleged hunter, this has fo- maturation. cused our attention on a number of vil- Maturation rates and life-history pa- lages that may still be actively involved rameters are seen as evolutionary ad- in gorilla hunting. If not for the Guardian aptations to different ecological and so- network, it seems less likely that this in- cial conditions. In environments with formation would have reached us. poorer and unstable or unpredictable In subsequent issues, we hope to food availability, maturation is expect- share more about the evolution of the ed to take longer. This strategy helps Gorilla Guardian network. Thanks must to reduce the risks of starvation (due be extended to the Margot Marsh Bio- to intraspecifi c feeding competition) by diversity Foundation and US Fish and spreading the metabolic needs for ju- Wildlife Service for their support to this venile growth. Under this hypothesis programme. more folivorous animals are expected Aaron Nicholas to show rapid growth rates in the earlier stages of ontogeny and cease growth References earlier than nonfolivorous/frugivorous Groves, J. L. (2002): Report on the status and distribution of the Cross River gorilla species. population of the Takamanda and Mone Forest Gorillas are an interesting genus to Reserves and the Mbulu forest, SW Province, investigate in order to ascertain wheth- Cameroon. Unpublished report to the Wildlife er the more frugivorous western goril- Conservation Society, the Whitley Foundation and Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation las mature more slowly because they Bergl, R. A. (2006): Conservation Biology of occur in very different habitats: the the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). seasonal lowland forest with many fruit Ph.D. thesis, City University of New York trees at one extreme and the high-alti- Ekinde, A. & Warren, Y. (2007): The Proposed Takamanda National Park: Cross River Gorilla tude montane rainforest with its dense surveys February–May 2007. Unpublished herb availability at the other. So far the report to the Wildlife Conservation Society and long-term data required to investigate KfW. Report 1 in the July 2007 series. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) – Takamanda whether western gorillas have a dif- Side profi les of gorillas of different Mone Landscape Project, Limbe, Cameroon ferent maturation pattern compared to life-history classes. The two photos mountain gorillas has been lacking. in each row present a typical Recent analysis from the long-term example of the life-history classes Life History Patterns data at Mbeli Bai indicates that indeed used in this study (from top: infant, of Western Gorillas – western gorillas are weaned at a later juvenile, subadult, blackback, Insights from Mbeli Bai age compared with mountain gorillas young silverback and adult female/ and indicate a slower physical matura- adult silverback Gorillas are known among the great tion for immatures. Western gorillas in Photos: Thomas Breuer apes for their fast life history patterns. In the Mbeli Bai population were weaned zoos it is common for female gorillas to (last time seen suckling) at an average parturition is later than that in mountain give birth before reaching 10 years. Our age of 4 years and 9 months, which is gorillas (average age at fi rst parturi- knowledge of the physical maturation 16 months later than in mountain goril- tion: 10 years 3 months; range 8 years of wild gorillas is mainly based on las. One female with known age, born 8 months to 12 years 10 months). We studies of mountain gorillas carried during the study in April 1995, had her also assigned photographs to common out at the Karisoke research station; fi rst baby at an age of 11 years and 4 life history classes and these results gorillas in that population show very months. Another female that we have further support the fi nding that west- similar life history milestones compared continuously monitored since her birth ern gorillas in our population and prob- to captive western gorillas. This is in is currently 11 years and 1 month old ably elsewhere have slower matura- strong contrast to chimpanzees or (October 2009) and has not yet given tion compared to mountain gorillas (but bonobos in which captive animals birth. Hence we assume that age at fi rst see Todd 2008 in Gorilla Journal 36 for

14 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

the real ubiquity of bushmeat in that town. There is a night market which comes alive as dark begins to fall and bushmeat is sold. There is also the morning market, which around 9:30 h is bustling with bushmeat being chopped up, sold, and replaced as soon as it is fi nished by boys carting in wheelbarrows of carcasses. I was able to see the more common species in the Developmental stages (life-history classes) in the life cycle of mountain market, such as guenons, blue duikers, gorillas (MG) and western gorillas (WG) Peter’s duikers, porcupines, and dwarf crocodiles; as well as protected speci- a short interbirth interval of 3 years 10 I would like to thank the Ministère de es such as sitatunga, yellow-backed months). l’Économie Forestière for permission to duiker, black and white colobus, red For example, we consider males to work in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National river hog, and rock python. I also heard be fully grown at an age of 18 years Park and WCS’s Congo Program for consistently that, albeit hidden, gorilla compared to 15 years (or even earlier) crucial logistical and administrative meat, chimpanzee meat, and elephant in mountain gorillas. The development support. Special thanks are due to meat enters the market as well. It of the fi rst secondary sexual character- numerous research assistants who seems that a lot of the meat comes istics (e.g. longer arm hairs of males) is contributed to the demographic data from the nearby forested areas. not obvious before the age of 11 years at Mbeli Bai. Financial support for the I went into an ammunition shop at Mbeli Bai. We have therefore pro- Mbeli Bai Study is provided by Brevard where I was shown two types of car- posed new age boundaries for life his- Zoo, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, tridges: one regular red cartridge for a tory classes in western gorillas, which Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 12-gauge made in Pointe-Noire, and can be used and tested at other west- Cleveland Metropark Zoo, Disney another one which was longer and gold- ern gorilla research sites. Worldwide Conservation Fund, Margot colored. This was described as ammu- The slower life history and long- Marsh Biodiversity Fund, Houston nition for bringing down big game, even er period of dependency of immature Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo, Knoxville Zoo, elephants. western gorillas could have major con- Little Rock Zoo, National Geographic In April, I went to Pokola (this re- sequences for other aspects of western Society, Santa Barbara Zoo, Sea gion is under concession of CIB = Con- gorilla biology. For example, it might World & Busch Gardens Conservation golaise Industrielle de Bois). I had the have effects on the likelihood of multi- Fund, Toronto Zoo, USFWS, WCS and impression that the immediate area male (kin) groups in western gorillas. Woodland Park Zoo. had been cleared of wildlife, but people If male tenure length is shorter than are actively pushing further out into the a male’s age to maturity it is unlikely The Results of this study and the pictures were forest to hunt. In Kabo, a logging con- originally published in the following article: that father-son multimale groups can Breuer, T., Breuer-Ndoundou Hockemba, M., cession close to Pokola, I learned that form. It might also impact infant mor- Olejniczak, C., Parnell, R. J. & Stokes, E. J. a relatively high-ranking Congolese tality patterns and population growth (2009): Physical maturation, life-history classes CIB employee was working together rates that will affect recovery from pop- and age estimates of free-ranging western with local hunters to obtain bushmeat gorillas – insights from Mbeli Bai, Republic of ulation crashes of this critically endan- Congo. American Journal of Primatology 71, to sell, despite it being the off-sea- gered species. 106–119 son. He and the hunters would row in Infant mortality to weaning age at pirogues up the Sangha River, towards Mbeli Bai is higher than 50%. Our the area where Lobéké National Park study emphasizes the importance of Bushmeat-Investigation begins on the Cameroonian (west) long-term studies in providing accurate Trip to Congo and Central side of the river. They would then en- baseline demographic and life-history African Republic ter Cameroon and hunt the forest in data of undisturbed primate popula- and around Lobéké National Park. This tions in assessing the vulnerability of Republic of Congo: in March 2009 I of course presents potential problems populations to their threats. made a tour of the various markets in with CITES infractions in addition to the Thomas Breuer Ouesso, and for the fi rst time realized violation of national laws.

15 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

On the road to Loundoungou the for- Bayanga est was thick and vast. Yellow-backed duikers crossed the road in front of us, and an elephant was nearby. One CENTRAL Parc National passes the CIB villages of Ndoki I and AFRICAN Ndoki II along this road; this is where REP. de Nouabalé- Ndoki the road supposedly gets rather close CAMEROON to Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, and Loundoungou there are plenty of eco-guard posts, al- Mbeli Bai ternating along the road between vil- lages, to make sure that no bushmeat Bomassa heads south in the direction of Pokola. Sangha Kabo When I arrived in Loundoungou, it Kabo was clear that the fi nancial crisis was having a serious impact there, and this was already visible in Pokola and Pokola Ouesso Kabo, where activity was at 50%. But here in Loundoungou, there were peo- Pokola REPUBLIC ple who had not really worked for some OF CONGO 3 months. There were people getting salaries of 9,000 CFA (US$ 18) per month, relying very much on bushmeat, a cheap form of feeding the family, just to get by. The only restaurant in town was serving duiker, even though we logging concession were still in the off-season where hunt- Pikounda national park ing is illegal (for reference, the hunting nord season is May 1 to November 1). border As a result of the fi nancial crisis, river Loundoungou’s sawmill had not yet be- gun operating. In the past, Loundoung- Logging concessions around the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park ou wood was carried down to Kabo and Pokola, but at the time of my visit much Eco-guards were not really a prob- offered to show me an elephant car- of that traffi c had come to a halt as well. lem because, as much as they may be cass only about 1.5 km away from the The hope seemed to be that the saw- feared for their ability to catch people mill and the village’s center of activ- mill would open and start running within hunting illegally in the forest, it appears ity! This particular carcass was from a couple of months. that once the meat is in the village they a case where they caught the poach- CIB would like to get Loundoungou do not do anything; once on the mar- ers, but he specifi cally said there were certifi ed (important for maintaining the ket, the meat was not concealed, even many carcasses like this around, which standard which allows them to sell their though its very presence there must is to say that poachers must still feel wood for higher prices) and then start have been the result of breaking the there is an incentive to kill elephants, the sawmill. This tiny enclave in the law. The eco-guards’ work is restrict- despite their super-elevated conserva- middle of the forest will certainly grow ed to catching people in the forest with tion status in the Republic of Congo. as Pokola did, and as Kabo did. The guns and meat and snares. The Pyg- Workers who have guns often loan demand for bushmeat will rise beyond mies seem to fear the eco-guards, but them to Mbenjele Pygmies to go hunt- the traditional pressures on the zone. have a network of providing each other ing; this is quite clear. As far as snares In a fi nancially turbulent time, the rise with information to evade them in the go, the Bakwele still frequently use in bushmeat consumption is clear, but forest. them, despite the risk of the large fi ne. even in good times, a rising population Hunting in Kabo is certainly a con- I did not hear about any snares or bul- means that the zone will be exposed to cern. For a few dollars, an eco-guard lets manufactured in CIB buildings. a hunting pressure which it has never

16 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

before witnessed, and CIB will have The region Suanké-Sembe-Ouesso eco-guards may even torture people to defend this as people’s “tradition- proved to be very interesting as the they catch. This was common knowl- al rights” because as one head fi gure northern limit of Odzala National Park edge, and a hunter told me that many at Loundoungou told me, if he tried to and a defi nitive source of bushmeat for of the Baka did not even dare to go into stop people from eating bushmeat, the Ouesso. Despite the eco-guard post Congo any more to hunt. villagers would castrate him. outside Mokeko (the village before Ou- It was good to hear the reinforce- Of course, it is true that the villagers esso), I saw many motorcycles bring- ment of the idea that the eco-guards must eat and hunt to feed their families, ing bushmeat out of the forest towards are actually defending the area around but it is the responsibility of CIB, who Ouesso. I also rode with two vehicles Nouabalé-Ndoki (which down at the brought them there when they opened carrying offi cials, both loaded down Bayanga level, is only a matter of a up the forest and built this village in the with a lot of bushmeat. Duiker corpses day’s walk away). middle of the jungle, to think about that. were lying all over the beds of the pick- I saw hunters bringing out antelopes If they do not think about that, and can ups, and smoked carcasses of vari- from Congo, and again, this raises is- still get internationally-recognized certi- ous animals. The worst was clearly two sues for CITES depending on which fi cation, I had to ask myself: how valu- enormous sacks full of smoked meat; species are being taken across the bor- able is the certifi cation process? I was unable to peer inside the sacks der. The hunter said that off-season in In any case, the situation at Loun- to see which species were included. In Congo was not a terribly important con- doungou is at a full-stop for the mo- any event, that much bushmeat ready sideration for the people here, and they ment. There are no expatriate staff cur- for export was really impressive – yet would just go in anyhow to hunt. Congo rently based there, neither is there tel- it represented just the few villages we provides many duikers for the hunters, ephone communication. stopped in; every village we passed and if possible even animals like ele- In the Ipendja concession, operated had villagers standing alongside the phant can be hunted in secret. by Societé Thanry Congo (STC), there road holding up smoked meat for sale. In Dzanga Bai I got the sense that is no cutting of wood at the moment The market in Ouesso, now in open the level of protection in Dzanga-Sang- because they have thousands of cu- hunting season, seemed to be han- ha Special Reserve and even in Dzan- bic meters of stock. Like Loundoungou, dling the same volume of bushmeat, ga-Ndoki National Park is of a much this area is very wild, with lots of wild- which makes me wonder what the ef- lower standard than in northern Con- life, even relatively close to the village. fi cacy of a closed hunting season is. go, and that things have not changed I even saw wild, un-habituated goril- Animal populations, even the common very much in the last years. It is good to las not very deep into the forest. I was species like the guenons and duikers, see that Congo’s conservation is better there with a Pygmy hunter who was will certainly be hurt from such persist- established, respected, and feared by hunting for a Bantu man. I am told that ent pressure. poachers. It makes one think, though, the system of servitude, bordering on In the Central African Republic I that where the conservation effort is slavery, with Pygmies working for Ban- looked around the border region for lacking, it must mean WCS is fi nan- tu people, is still prevalent in the area. any evidence of the ivory trade. I am cially constrained; and where is the for- People are aware, even all the way up convinced there is no market for it est-friendly CIB to help when it comes here, of the species that are not sup- around the border so whatever comes to laying down funds for the effort they posed to be hunted, like elephants and out would go on to Berberati or Ban- claim to support? gorillas. Afterwards, I passed through gui. The area was a diamond-mining L. Aber, communicated by Iris Weiche the Lopola concession, operated by a region and has been quite hunted out Lebanese company. I heard one dis- already (this is the Ngoulo area in be- turbing story of a gorilla that was com- tween Nola and Bayanga, 30 km south Pygmies in Logging ing too close for comfort to the village. of Nola). The bushmeat in the mar- Concessions and Unfortunately, in Congo, given the right kets, which is readily available (mon- Reserves authorization, the animal can be shot, keys, duikers), comes from the direc- which is exactly what happened. I have tion of the forests in the region of the The aim of our study was to acquire not seen any legislation regarding what reserve (further south). In Bayanga a information on the living conditions of should be done with the carcass, unlike known elephant hunter showed me a the Pygmies in logging concessions in Kenya where KWS handles carcass- path by which hunters can also just go in the Republic of Congo and the es so that no one can profi t from the to hunt in Congo; there were risks to Central African Republic. A review of death of a wild animal. hunting in Congo though, because the the legal background and the principal

17 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

players reveals differing visions of the this village, but the government does tional values recognized by the com- forest, which clash in an unequal battle not give us medicine.” The mortality munities shall be the duty of the state”. between two contradictory dreams. One rate among the Pygmies is fi ve times The Pygmies experience a very poor is the age-old dream of the Pygmies, higher than among the Bantu. “Many literacy rate as their school attendance whose survival is closely linked to of our family members are dead today is as low as 15%. We were told by their relationship with the forest, and because there was no medicine given most of these people that their children the other is the vision of a number of to them when they were sick.” The Pyg- are not attending the “white man’s” external actors (the state, donors and mies of this area are nicknamed out of schools; according to them, all of them conservation projects) who jeopardize prejudice (la viande qui parle – the ani- are educated in their own culture but the traditional management methods mal/meat that can speak) and do not this is being destroyed by the powers of the local communities, frequently receive the same treatment as others. that be. “Our children are not going giving the communities the impression The health staff discriminate against to the white man’s school because we that the forest is being protected from sick Pygmies; for example their con- have no money to pay the government them. sultations take place only after all Ban- for that. We hear that only the children The Pygmies always ask what the tu have been attended to, and they are whose parents work with the loggers concession companies are doing in even refused appropriate treatment. are allowed to attend school.” areas they have always considered Worse still, the public health system Some of these workers we inter- theirs. Concessions and conservation employs Bantu individuals to distrib- viewed agreed that their children are in have always been seen by the Pygmies ute medicine for leprosy to the pyg- school, but others said that Bantu par- as the greatest contradiction that ever mies; often the Pygmies do not receive ents do not want their children to share existed around their expanse and have the medicines, or receive them only a class room with the Baka children brought untold problems for them. when they are working for the persons whom they considered animals. That Article 16 of the African Charter of responsible for giving medicine to the notwithstanding, the signifi cance of ac- Human and Peoples’ Rights emphasiz- Pygmies. cess to education is self-evident and es that state parties shall take the nec- The Pygmies of the Congo experi- this right has to be ensured. essary measures to protect the health ence high rates of infant mortality. They The role of cultural and language of their people. The health situation of suffer serious diffi culties in the areas rights is integral to the question of ed- indigenous people, however, is often of diet and nutrition and their children ucation. Education is not value-free. very precarious. As they receive little suffer from chronic malnutrition. Some It is known that an education system political attention and prioritization and of these people do not have access that assumes aspects of the dominant as they, to a large extent, suffer from to clean drinking water because they cultural perceptions towards the Pyg- impoverishment and low literacy rates, live in remote areas. Because they lack mies reinforces the perception of them their health problems are in many cas- money to buy medicine, and because as alien and encourages non-accept- es extremely critical, and this is in vio- of the discrimination they face, many of ance of them. The discrimination by lation of article 16. them do not go to health centers at all, teachers and some students leads to a An example concerns the Pygmies and most of them are left to hope that high drop-out rate. This is confi rmed by of one logging town in the Republic of the illness will cure itself, or to prac- some of the Pygmies who said that their Congo. Some of the major health prob- tice self-medication – which is no long- children no longer attend school be- lems of these people include alcohol- er effective because according to them cause of serious discrimination against ism, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. the trees and herbs are all destroyed them, and because the schools want Alcoholism is a symptom of margin- by the logging company workers. The to turn them away from their culture. alization and despondency, as well as Pygmies believe that if they were still “The Bantu always abused us whenev- a cause of poor health. Many people living in their forest their lives would be er we went to school; they will always drink alcohol to deal with hunger. Al- better because they would be able to remind us that we do not know how to cohol related trauma injuries are of- collect medicinal plants and practice speak French. The school is made up ten presented at the clinics, but they their customs. of those who speak and write French. are usually not given the attention that The African Charter states in its ar- That is why I left school, since I cannot they need. Very common diseases in ticle 17 (1) that every individual shall express myself in French.” these areas include yaws, jiggers, lep- have the right of education. It further The right to justice is preserved in rosy and conjunctivitis. “We have so states in article 17 (3) that “the promo- articles 2, 3, 4, and 7 of the African many diseases that we suffer from in tion and protection of morals and tradi- Charter; article 5 of the same charter

18 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

says that every individual shall have Some also serve as forest guides to cultural roots as well as their physical the right to respect the dignity inherent allocate trees that are ready and good existence are highly dependent on the to a human being, and article 19 says for exploitation. Others are employed forest, which is also the main source of that all people shall be equal and enjoy by the big bosses to serve as hunters livelihood, satisfying both their domes- the same respect. The African Char- for specifi c animals for the consump- tic and agricultural needs. They pro- ter is rampantly violated in many log- tion of these bosses, all Congolese. tected the fauna and fl ora in their ca- ging regions of Congo. The Pygmies This latter group of workers is not reg- pacity as custodians. “I was born in the state they are suffering from discrimi- istered among the formal employees of forest, I live in the forest and I will die nation at the hands of the Bantu and the company: they are paid by these in the forest, I know how to protect the their employers. They maintain that bosses and their assignment is usually forest because my father taught me so. they are not given the same attention not known by the white bosses. I don’t care what the government says, as their Bantu counterparts in their du- The Pygmies are the oldest inhab- I will continue to go into the forest, it is ties. They say their salaries are three to itants of Congo’s forest. Traditionally where I belong, all I need in this life is four times less than that of the Bantu. they live in small forest encampements, found in the forest. How then can I stay One Bantu worker said: “I cannot allow moving every three or four days, hunt- away?” to be paid the same salary as a Pygmy. ing and gathering. The pressure from But with the arrival of environmental Pygmies are not human beings like us; the colonial government policy of sed- conservation projects, everything be- they do not reason like human beings, entarization unfortunately has contin- came taboo and sin; everything is gov- they have no use for money. The day ued after independence. They are in- erned by law; there is no access to we lack food in this country we will use creasingly settled in camps around the the forest, for the Pygmies separation them for meat.” Bantu villages. Consequently, they are from this forest is involuntary. “We al- The Pygmies who have the privilege sometimes not accepted or, in the case ways wanted to stay and live in the for- to work for a logging company con- where they are accepted, they are con- est, but unfortunately for us we were fessed that their salaries are very small; sidered as laborers for the already set- booted out and today we are asked to according to them, the money cannot tled Bantu groups. “We are here but we become farmers. Farming has never feed their families, and their plight con- don’t consider this place as ours be- been our concern. We depended on tinues. We were told that when they cause the Bantu can send us away any eating bushmeat and wild fruits, but sustain injuries in the line of duty, noth- time they want.” today I stay for months without eating ing is done for them. Most times they The soil and subsoil belong to the bushmeat because whenever we trap are not sent for medical treatment, Congolese State, not to any individual small animals the eco-guards will seize most of them are left to fall back on regardless of social rank or how long them from us and, when we resist, they their resources of treating themselves. someone claims to have stayed in an will beat us mercilessly, beating us for “Many of my brothers have been left area. The Pygmies have no rights to what we thought was ours.” dead after incurring serious injuries in the land. They were evicted and driven “They told us that we are not sup- this place, while the Bantu are carried out without indemnity or compensation posed to stay in the forest because we to the hospital for treatment; some of by the concessions and reserves that destroy the forest, but it is they who are them are even carried to Brazzaville, have taken over the land. All of them destroying the forest. They cut down while we are left here.” Some of the are tenants. No one has a registration trees and kill big animals; even trees Pygmies are employed as saw men, certifi cate proving that the land belongs that we respect as sacred are being and cut down big trees. In this assign- to him. The state can withdraw this land cut down.” ment, they are at the mercy of their ex- at will. “We have no land, the govern- Today a small number of these Pyg- pertise as the trees risk falling on them. ment has taken our land and given it to mies have been employed as eco- They say that many have had acci- the Bantu, this has caused some of our guards but they are placed under the dents in the line of duty, and very little brothers to move to Cameroon and the watchful eyes of the Bantu who are care and attention was given to them; Democratic Republic of the Congo for considered or looked upon as the boss- many have even lost their lives in the settlement since no compensation was es of these Pygmies fortunate enough process, and very little compensation given to us.” to be employed. “I am very fortunate was given to their families. Some fami- In the fi rst place, the authorities fail to have been employed as one of the lies complained that they have been to respect the indigenous people’s right. eco-guards in this reserve, though my left without a visit from the logging of- For Pygmies, a forest is what nurtures salary is very small when compared fi cials. them, it is everything to them. Their with that of the Bantu and with the type

19 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

of job that I do. The Bantu are my ‘big the Baka and Bantu participated in this veloped into a great interest in nature men’, they direct me on what to do and business for some time. “We and the and local human cultures. He learned I respect them.” Bantu were very much involved in the the local language – Fang – and be- As a result of their knowledge of the business to have money to buy some gan some zoological and anthropologi- forest, some of them have been em- of our basic needs like salt and oil.” In cal research projects with the support ployed to stop their brothers from killing the fi ght against poaching, the authori- of his wife who collaborated in some animals and gather wild fruits; but they ties in charge of wildlife management of his tasks to leave him more free risk losing their jobs if they dare to stop and the various projects used the strat- time for research. His work led to some some of the Bantu hunters, especially egy of applying repressive measures extraordinary results, for example his those who are given guns and sent to against those behind the poaching. study of the Fang people’s art and tat- hunt in a reserve by the big offi cials in “We passed through a lot of problems, toos, his description of the lyre-tailed Congo. Some of the Pygmies them- not only as we had to leave our camps, honey-guide (Melichneutes robustus), selves hunt for the Bantu “big men”, es- but it was diffi cult to catch a hare and or his study on the metamorphosis of pecially animals like elephants. get it back in the village without being the Goliath frog (Conraua goliath). Tu- A few Pygmies agreed that their sit- caught. But the Bantu will safely trans- lane University in New Orleans was uations have actually changed for the port theirs.” According to them, the anti- very interested in his work, and Sabat- better as compared to the past when poaching measures taken by the au- er Pí was hired as a researcher of this they were never given a job and were thorities affected the Baka more that university between 1966 and1968 with left to fall back on their resources. But the Bantu hunters. a grant from the National Geographic this has happened to very few of them, In the light of the eviction of the Baka Society, the National Institute of Health mainly for those who are employed as from the forest with inadequate, non- and the New York Zoological Institute. eco-guards and some who work with existent or inappropriate compensa- Without a doubt it is in the primato- loggers. tion, and in light of the continuing ar- logical arena where his contributions The creation of a reserve had no im- rests and some imprisonment of Baka, have been most important. A pioneer mediate impact on resources, because sometimes simply because they are in research on African great ape be- the authorities had no means of en- getting honey, fi rewood or food plants haviour in the wild, he discovered a forcement. With the arrival of the eco- from the forest around the concession chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglo- guards the reserve would be equipped and conservation areas, it is a mat- dytes) population using sticks as tools with comprehensive resources and it ter of urgent concern that the conser- to catch termites as well as medicines would be attempted to systematically vation authorities and logging compa- and minerals from the ground in the implement Congolese protected area nies have been unable to move ahead mountains of Okorobikó in Equatorial legislation. “We were living in the re- rapidly with establishing multi-use Guinea. This discovery was published serve before they came and took us programmes with participation of the in Nature in 1969 and it had great impli- out promising that something will be Baka, which address their cultural and cations for ethology, anthropology and given to us as compensation, but noth- historical dependency on and use of archeology; it was the fi rst time that a ing has been given so far.” According the forest. non-human primate industry was pro- to this, Pygmies who were very bitter D. Nefarm, communicated by posed – a proposal that culture existed about their situation are not very well Iris Weiche in another species than humans. Other informed about the project’s objectives important works in primatology are his and requirements. The nature of the re- study on gorilla and chimpanzee nest- strictions imposed varies according to Obituary: Jordi Sabater Pí ing behaviour and his work on etho- whom you talk to. Some say that hunt- ecological principles in arboreal cerco- ing is forbidden in the reserve. Others The ethologist Jordi Sabater Pí, pithecids. say access of any kind is forbidden. “If Professor Emeritus at the Universitat de After 1958 he worked for Barcelo- you are seen with bushmeat anywhere Barcelona and one of the internationally na Zoo as a curator of the Ikunde Re- you will be beaten by eco-guards. How best-known Spanish scientists, died at search Center, in Bata, and he discov- can we stop hunting, which is the only 87 years of age on August 5th, 2009. He ered the world-famous white gorilla thing we know how to do best, and with spent a very active and profi table life. Snowfl ake, who became a symbol for that we feed our families?” In 1940 he arrived in Equatorial Barcelona City and Barcelona Zoo. Poaching is one of the consequenc- Guinea to work as a foreman on a farm. In 1972 he received a new grant es of unemployment in Congo. Both His curiosity about life and animals de- from the National Geographic Socie-

20 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 GORILLAS

ty to continue his research in Rwan- ticles for magazines and newspapers da, where he studied mountain gorillas to promote ethology and primatology with Dian Fossey. and to bring them closer to the gen- After returning to Barcelona in 1976 eral public. he worked as Professor for the Psy- Sabater Pí was an innovative scien- chology Department, University of Bar- tist who was interested in issues be- celona, where he introduced ethology fore they became popular. His research as a new subject; a few years later, he was always done with the maximum of also introduced primate behaviour. scientifi c rigour, and with great stami- He always combined working as a na; he always kept a global and open professor with research, and he initi- vision, paying attention to all the fac- ated many research projects on animal tors that could infl uence animal behav- behaviour, both in captivity and in the iour or help him to attain a better under- wild, producing doctoral theses and in- standing of it. ternational papers. It is worth mention- He received many awards for his ing his studies on laterality and cog- magnifi cent scientifi c career, among nition on great apes and parrots, his them: Premi de la Fundació Catalana research on the etho-ecology of the per a la Investigació (1991), la Medalla bonobo on the Democratic Republic d’Or al Mèrit Científi c de l’Ajuntament of the Congo, and cercopithecid etho- de Barcelona (1996), and la Medal- ecology in Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. la Narcís Monturiol al Mèrit Científi c He conducted a wealth of profi ta- y Tecnològic, del Govern de la Gener- ble research and always disseminat- alitat de Cataluña (2004). He was Pro- ed it through talks, seminars and ar- fessor honoris causa of the University Autònoma of Madrid and of the Univer- sity Autónoma de Barcelona. He was proposed twice for the prize Fundació Kyoto (Japan). He dedicated all his work to the Uni- versity of Barcelona in 2000, comprising all his scientifi c research, note-books, pictures, ethnological objects and more than 2000 drawings and aquarelles painted during his life. These drawings have not only scientifi c but also artis- tic value. The most important memory that we, the people who studied with him and knew him, will retain is his PAS- SION for studying nature, the wonder- ful way he transmitted it to all of us, and his great respect for all living beings. He always said the following: To know something you need to ob- serve it, and if you know it you will not be able to stop loving it, and if you love it you would like to protect it. This sentence defi nes how he was and how he acted Montserrat Colell

Photos: col. Sabater

21 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 READING

Marc Languy and Emmanuel de The rainforests of Cameroon: to buy communication equipment for Mérode (eds.) experience and evidence from a the trackers and a special power gen- Virunga. The survival of Africa’s fi rst decade of reform. Washington, CD erator that is less noisy. The aim is to national park. Tielt, Belgium (Lannoo) (World Bank) 2009. XVII, 194 pages. raise awareness on the need to con- 2009. 352 pages 240 photos, 60 maps Paperback, US$ 20, £ 15.99. ISBN serve gorillas. and 45 line drawings. Euro 39.95. ISBN 978-0-82137878-6. 978-90-209-6562-9. Kimberley Hockings and Tatyana George Amato , Rob DeSalle, Humle Christophe Boesch Oliver A. Ryder and Howard C. Best Practice Guidelines for the The Real Chimpanzee: sex strategies Rosenbaum (eds.) Prevention and Mitigation of Confl ict in the forest. Cambridge University Conservation Genetics in the Age of Between Humans and Great Apes. Press 2009. 196 pages. Hardcover Genomics. New York City (Columbia IUCN SSC 2009, 48 pages. PDFs US$ 115.00, ISBN 978-0-521-11008- University Press) 2009. 264 pages, of both the French and the English 2; paperback US$ 48.00, ISBN 978-0- 2 halftones, 13 color illus., 6 line versions can be downloaded at: www. 521-12513-0. drawings, 8 tables. Hardcover, US$ 65, primate-sg.org/BP.confl ict.htm £ 45. ISBN 978-0-23112832-2. Amanda Rees Human Rights Watch The Infanticide Controversy: pri- Ivette Perfecto, John Vandermeer Soldiers Who Rape, Commanders matology and the art of fi eld science. and Angus Wright Who Condone: Sexual Violence and Chicago (University of Chicago Press) Nature’s Matrix. Linking Agriculture, Military Reform in the Democratic 2009. 304 pages. Hardcover, US$ 40. Conservation and Food Sovereignty. Republic of Congo. Human Rights ISBN 978-0-22670711-2. London (Earthscan) 2009. 272 pages. Watch 2009. 62 pages. ISBN: 1-56432- Paperback £ 24.95, ISBN 978-1- 510-5. Michael A. Huffman and Colin A. 84407782-3; hardcover £ 85.00, ISBN Download: http://www.hrw.org/de/ Chapman (eds.) 978-1-84407781-6. reports/2009/07/16/soldiers-who-rape- Primate Parasite Ecology: the commanders-who-condone-0; report, dynamics and study of host-parasite Laura A. German, Alain Karsenty 650.55 KB: http://www.hrw.org/sites/ relationships. Cambridge University and Anne-Marie Tiani (eds.) default/files/reports/drc0709web.pdf; Press 2009. 548 pages, 48 illustrations. Governing Africa’s Forests in a report with cover, 778.38 KB: http:// Hardcover, US$ 126.00. ISBN 978-0- Globalized World. London (Earthscan) www.hrw.org/sites/default/fi les/reports/ 521-87246-1. 2009. 400 pages. Hardcover £ 65.00. drc0709webwcover.pdf ISBN 978-1-84407756-4 Alan F. Dixson Global Witness Sexual Selection and the Origins “Faced with a gun, what can you of Human Mating Systems. Oxford New on the Internet do?” War and the militarisation of University Press 2009. 232 pages, 115 mining in eastern Congo. London illustrations. Paperback £ 34.95, ISBN In September 2009, a new website, (Global Witness) 2009. 110 pages. 978-0-19-955943-5; hardcover £ 70, www.friendagorilla.org, was launched ISBN 978-0-9562028-1-9. ISBN 978-0-19-955942-8. in Uganda. Anybody, worldwide, can Download: http://www.globalwitness. meet (virtually) gorillas from Uganda’s org/media_library_detail.php/786/en/ Richard Sharpley seven habituated groups at a cost of global_witness_report_faced_with_a_ Tourism Development and the US$ 1 or its equivalent. The website has gun_what_can_yo Environment: Beyond Sustainability? sections like Geo-Track, where one can London (Earthscan) 2009. 240 pages. track gorillas using GPS coordinates FAO Paperback £ 22.95, ISBN 978-1- that the gorilla trackers provide. Online State of the World’s Forests 2009. 84407733-5; hardcover £ 80.00, ISBN trackers will be able to add gorillas as Rome (FAO) 2009. ISBN 978-92-5- 978-1-84407732-8 friends on internet social sites such as 106057-5. Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. http://www.fao.org/forestry/49666/en/ Guiseppe Topa, Alain Karsenty, The money the project will make Download of the PDF fi le: http://www. Carole Megevand and Laurent will be used to hire more trackers to fao.org/docrep/011/i0350e/i0350e00. Debroux bring the number to 45 from 25, and htm

22 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Colin Thomas-Jensen, Noel Atama er; at http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/ Our Donors and Olivia Caeymaex fi les/reports/drc1209webwcover_1.pdf An Uneasy Alliance in Eastern with cover (3.65 MB). From May to October 2009 we re- Congo and its High Cost for ceived major donations by Aktionsge- Civilians: Operation Kimia II. enough Final report of the Group of Experts meinschaft des Einzelhandels Bünde, project 2009. www.enoughproject.org/ on the Democratic Republic of the Helga Beiderwieden, Angelika Dick- publications/Uneasy-Alliance Congo. Letter dated 9 November mann, Elisabeth Engel, Marianne Fa- 2009 from the Group of Experts mula, Jürgen and Irmgard Friedrich, John Prendergast and Sasha on the Democratic Republic of the Andreas Gerlach, Caroline Grosjean, Lezhnev Congo addressed to the Chairman of Peter Günther, Antje Hoyer, Volker From Mine to Mobile Phone: The the UN Security Council Committee Jährling, class 7c of the Realschule Confl ict Minerals Supply Chain. Enough (S/2009/603). 287 pages, 22 MB. Bünde-Nord, Eva Klemisch, Hans Ma- Project 2009 It can be downloaded from the UN yer, Angela Meder, Hannelore Mer- Download of the report: http://www. website at http://www.un.org/Docs/ ker, Mondberge-Projekt, Claudia Oh- enoughproject.org/files/publications/ journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2009/603 ler, Hanna Otte, Ursula Ploeger, Bir- minetomobile.pdf git Reime, Stephanie Maria Rosen, Thirtieth report of the Secretary- Reiner Schaberick, Manfred Schrö- Human Rights Watch General on the United Nations Or- der, Sparkasse Herford, Tierheim You Will Be Punished. Attacks on ganization Mission in the Democratic Heinsberg, Ingo Wolfeneck, Heinz Za- Civilians in Eastern Congo. December Republic of the Congo. (S/2009/623), ruba, Zeitungsverlag Neue Westfäli- 13, 2009. 183 pages. ISBN: 1-56432- 4 December 2009. 24 pages, 110 KB sche and Manfred Zimmer. Susanne 582-2 (http://www.hrw.org/node/8715). This report can be downloaded at Zeitler collected donations for us during Download of the report (3.48 MB) at http://allafrica.com/view/resource/ her birthday party. At his 70th birthday, http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/ main/main/id/00011978.html Volker Jährling made a generous gift to reports/drc1209web_1.pdf without cov- the rangers of the Virunga Parks and took it to Africa himself (photo below by S. Peer). Many thanks – to all the other donors as well! We are grateful for your support, and we hope that you will continue to support us during 2010.

At the “Wilhelma Day”, the great ape keepers of the Stuttgart Zoo offered to children to “handicraft for the apes” and collected donations for us. Photo: Angela Meder

23 Gorilla Journal 39, December 2009 Subscription to the Gorilla Journal

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