Gorilla Journal Journal of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe No. 31, December 2005

Grauer's Gorilla in Conservation Law Habitat Protection Conservation of the Maiko South Enforcement for Cross River Chimpanzees and Region Training in the Gorillas in Gorillas in Virunga Park Cameroon Western Africa BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Authors of this Issue Africa programs. Since 2001 has di- CONTENTS rected the DFGFI Africa programs in Democratic Republic of Congo 3 Dr. Christophe Boesch is Director Rwanda and the D. R. Congo. News from Kahuzi-Biega 3 of the Max Planck Institute for Evo- Robert Muir worked on a num- Grauer’s Gorilla and Other Wildlife lutionary Anthropology and President ber of research and community based in the Maiko South Region 4 of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation. conservation programmes, and since Another Gorilla Confi scated 6 He studied chimpanzees in Ivory Coast 2004, he has been responsible for the Intergovernmental Meeting on Great and recently has begun in Gabon. Frankfurt Zoological Society’s’s VirungaVirunga Apes in Kinshasa 7 Didier Bolamba has worked for National Park Conservation Program. Activities of a Local NGO 8 ICCN for over 10 years and is currently Emile-Emmanuel Ngwe has almost Conservation Law Enforcement Chief Warden of Maiko National Park. 25 years experience with ICCN and is Training in the Virunga National Park 9 Andrew Dunn is Project Manag- currently adjoint conservator of Maiko Rebels Chased from the Virunga er for the WCS biodiversity research National Park’s southern sector. National Park 11 program in southeastern Nigeria since Francine Nixon has worked in the Rwanda 12 2004. He has been working on biologi- D. R. Congo as fi eld research assistant Mudslide in the Virungas 12 cal survey and conservation projects in for the DFGFI since 2004. Respiratory Diseases in Mountain Africa since 1989. Stuart-Christopher Nixon studied Gorillas 12 Prof. Colin Groves wrote his PhD gorillas in the Central African Republic Uganda 13 thesis on gorilla osteology and taxon- and in the Tayna Gorilla Reserve dur- Number of Gorilla Visitors Increased 13 omy. He now teaches primatology and ing 2001. Since 2004 he has worked in Renovation of Ranger Outposts 13 human evolution at the Australian Na- the D. R. Congo for the DFGFI’s “Land- Gorillas 14 tional University. scape graueri” program. Habitat Protection for Cross River Bernard Iyomi Iyatshi has worked Carlos Schuler worked as a typog- Gorillas in Cameroon 14 for nature conservation in the Demo- rapher, a windsurfi ng and skiing teach- News from Cross River State, Nigeria 15 cratic Republic of Congo for 22 years. er. In 1983 he visited Bukavu, 2 years CITES Recommendation for In August 2002, he became Principal later he returned and since 1994 he Wildlife Trade with Nigeria 16 Conservator of the Kahuzi-Biega Park. has been working for the GTZ there. Conservation of Chimpanzees and Dr. Rebecca Kormos is a Research Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo con- Gorillas in Western Equatorial Africa 16 Fellow at the Center for Applied Bio- ducted gorilla surveys in the Maiko The Ebo Forest Gorillas 19 diversity Science, CI, and Vice-Chair, Park and worked for the ICCN and the National Parks in Gabon 19 Section on Great Apes of the IUCN/ IUCN program PPP. Now he works for Reading 22 SSC Primate Specialist Group. IUCN to develop programs that will be News from the Internet 22 Kambale Mufabule has been invol- implemented during the next years. Gorilla Book for Schools 22 ved in fi eld operations at the Tayna Re- Dr. Emma Stokes is Research Co- Berggorilla & Regenwald serve since 2001. In 2004 he became ordinator for the Nouabalé-Ndoki Na- Direkthilfe 23 the scientifi c director of UGADEC. tional Park in northern Congo with the Dr. Patrick Mehlman is scientifi c di- WCS-Congo. Organization Address: rector and vice president of DFGFI’s Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe started a gorilla survey in the Takaman- c/o Rolf Brunner Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 da Forest Reserve in 1997 and since Lerchenstr. 5 Editor: Dr. Angela Meder 2000 she has been studying Cross 45473 Muelheim, Germany Augustenstr. 122, 70197 Stuttgart, River gorillas in other areas. Fax +49-208-7671605 Germany Dr. Caroline Tutin spent 22 years E-mail [email protected] Fax +49-711-6159919 studying gorillas and chimpanzees in Website: E-mail [email protected] Gabon and now concentrates on pro- http://www.berggorilla.org Translation and Proofreading: Ann moting ape conservation. Bank Account: DeVoy, Bettina and Andrew Grieser Dr. Christopher Whittier is current- Account number 353 344 315 Johns, Colin Groves ly the Regional Field Veterinarian for Stadtsparkasse Muelheim, Germany Design: Edwin Artho, Angela Meder the MGVP. He works with the mountain Bank code number 362 500 00 Cover: Twin mothers in Kahuzi-Biega. gorillas and oversees MGVP’s fi eld ac- IBAN DE06 3625 0000 0353 3443 15 Photo: Carlos Schuler tivities in all three range countries.

2 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

News from Kahuzi-Biega: To try to reduce the pressure exert- ed by these displaced people on the May–October 2005 park resources, the GTZ-KBNP project It has been confi rmed that in the Nindja asked the World Food Programme to and Walungu communities, occupied assist, with the result that 350 tons of by Rwandan militia, there have been food were distributed by the project to repeated human rights violations – the victims of persecution. Project par- killings, rapes, lootings and kidnappings. ticipants were mobilized to help with These militia are the perpetrators of the the distribution, which took place from Rwandan genocide, and they have been June to September; the distribution in the Congo since 1994. The Armed helped to restore trust between the Forces of the Democratic Republic of park authorities and the Nindja popula- Nabintu (left) and Bashige with their the Congo (FARDC), supported by the tion, who were formerly hostile towards infants on 6 September United Nations Mission to the Congo the park. Photo: Carlos Schuler (MONUC), have organised operations Between August 20 and 22, three against them; forced to fl ee, the militias attacks took place in the interior of the as his left hand is missing. In Septem- have taken revenge by attacking any park, approximately 4 km from Tshi- ber 2002, Mugaruka separated from civilians whom they encounter. vanga guard post; a lot of material was his females, although no interaction In their attacks, 13 persons have looted and taken to Bunyakiri on lor- was observed between Mugaruka and been savagely massacred, 4 have ries, and several people were taken Chimanuka. For some time, Mugaruka been injured, and 5 were abducted and hostage by the Rwandan militia. From formed a group with his son Chubaka; taken into the forest of the park in the September 1 to 5, the authorities of on May 19, 2004, they were joined by night of May 23 to 24. On July 4, the the 10th Military Region made 1,000 8 survivors of the family of Mishebere, guards of the Mugaba patrol post were armed troops available to the park to who was killed in 2002. Among the sur- attacked by a group led by the lieuten- assist in patrolling the park’s tourism vivors was a young black-backed male ant colonel “Kdt. 106”, a FARDC dissi- sectors. The operation also benefi ted called Mankoto; he has now replaced dent. The majority of guards were kid- from important assistance by MONUC. Mugaruka, who has become solitary napped and their work equipment tak- In the course of these patrols, several for the last 3 months, and it is Mankoto en (weapons and walkie-talkies); one camps of the Rwandan militia were de- who now leads this new family. guard is still being held as a hostage. stroyed. To summarize: two families habitu- With the help of FARDC, the guards ated to tourists remain in the park: the posted at Tshivanga repelled an attack More Twins! Chimanuka group with 28 individuals by the same militia group, led by the Nabintu’s two babies (Mushoho and and the Mankoto group with 11 individ- same lieutenant colonel, on July 8. On Busasa), who were born on April 29, uals, in addition to a solitary male who July 9, the Madiri guards were also at- 2005, are doing very well. Bashige, can also be visited, Mugaruka. tacked by a group of Rwandan militia, also in the Chimanuka family, also but no loss of life or materials was re- gave birth to twins (Numbi and Kasiwa) Park Offi ce on Fire ported. On July 10, the same Rwan- on July 23, 2005. Three days after the Unfortunately, a further misfortune dan Hutu set fi re to houses in Kalonge birth, we observed that the newborns has befallen the GTZ Kahuzi-Biega in the Mamba locality, and 45 persons were very weak. On September 6, all National Park Project. On September burnt to death, the majority of the vic- females were observed and we were 26, at around 9 pm, a fi re consumed the tims being women and children; this able to confi rm an inconclusive sighting house where the project was located. massacre has resulted in the displace- made on July 26, that one of the Materials stored in the building were ment of 14,476 inhabitants of Mamba twins (Kasiwa) had disappeared. The partly destroyed, including the library towards the neighbouring settlements remaining twin, Numbi, is still weak, but of 2,000 books, 7 computers, the of Cifunzi and Rambo, close to the park we hope that it will survive; its sex has accounts of the Kahuzi-Biega National boundary, adding to the displaced peo- not yet been determined, as it is always Park and a sum of money. An enquiry ple from Nindja who had already fl ed cradled by its mother. into how the fi re was started has been from the murderers, and increasing The silverback Mugaruka, son of the opened by the authorities. Part of the the number of displaced people in the late Mushamuka, is a patriarch who building (the ground and the fi rst fl oors) Kalonge community to 32,000. has been very distinctive since infancy, was partially saved with the help of fi re

3 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

A Disastrous Loss for the Kahuzi-Biega Project

A fi re has consumed the building containing the offi ce of the GTZ project, and the library with 2000 books was destroyed as well as 7 computers. Although the GTZ will rebuild the house, it will be very diffi cult to replace the documents and the material that is urgently needed to continue the project's activities effi ciently.

We want to help re-establish the library of the GTZ project. Please help us to raise funds to buy as many of the necessary books as possible. If you have an opportunity to donate special books directly, please contact us (see address below) – we will check with the project what they need. Bank Account: Angela Meder Account number 353 344 315 Augustenstr. 122 Stadtsparkasse Muelheim, 70197 Stuttgart Germany Germany Bank code number 362 500 00 Fax +49-711-6159919 IBAN DE06 3625 0000 0353 3443 15 [email protected] SWIFT-BIC SPMHDE3E

extinguishers from MONUC and the national or international support since in the southwestern sector of the Pharmakina company. its creation in 1970 and its function as park and surrounding areas and our Despite this situation, patrol activi- a protected area has been limited by its observations of gorilla nests, trail sign ties in the park and development ac- inaccessibility, the long term presence etc., indicate that gorillas are more or tivities in the surroundings of the park of anti-government rebels in the south less continuously distributed throughout continue with the support of the Ger- and central sectors, and almost 10 years 1,875 km2 of intact forest. man Technical Cooperation GTZ and of civil war. Consequently the current We also confi rmed gorilla presence its partners WWF and WCS. status of its fauna remains largely over an area of 125 km2 south of the Bernard Iyomi Iyatshi and unknown. Since 2003, the Dian Fossey Kisangani–Bukavu road near the con- Carlos Schuler Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) fl uence of the Lowa and Oso rivers has supported a major rehabilitation (see map). Although gorilla sign was program for MNP in close collaboration Grauer’s Gorilla and with the Congolese Institute for the Lindi Other Wildlife in the Maiko Conservation of Nature (ICCN). From Manguredjipa Opienge South Region February through May, 2005, as part Butembo of this program, we completed the fi rst Loya Parc 2 aïko Lubero At more than 10,000 km in size, stage of a faunal survey of the MNP M National Lubero Maiko National Park (MNP) is the southern sector aimed at identifying the de la Maïko DEMOCRATIC largest lowland forest park in eastern current status and distribution of large REPUBLIC OF Lu- Democratic Republic of Congo and is mammals and associated threats, with butu CONGO Oso widely recognized as an important site a special emphasis on the distribution Lowa for the conservation of Grauer’s gorilla, of Grauer’s gorilla. Walikale Gorilla distribution chimpanzee, okapi, forest elephant, Punia confirmed forest buffalo, giant forest hog and Gorilla Distribution reported Goma the Congo peafowl. Despite such We conducted approximately 290 km recognition, MNP has received very little of reconnaissance-based surveys Original map: DFGFI, Brad Mulley

4 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

sparsely distributed throughout the sur- vation of Grauer’s gorilla. vey region, we encountered concentra- tions of gorilla sign in several remote Current Status of Other Wildlife areas typifi ed by steep mountains, Our surveys also reveal that chim- deep valleys and numerous treefalls panzees are widespread throughout supporting a dense herbaceous under- the Maiko South region and occur storey. Using data from transformed sympatrically with gorillas throughout nest site encounter rates, we give a the entire area (although the total preliminary and tentative estimate that number of chimpanzee nests found 600 gorillas (including those individu- was approximately 50% of that for als not making nests) are found within gorillas). During our census, we iden- the survey region. During the survey tifi ed a total of 35 mammal species (all we also received reliable reports from of which occurred within MNP), and senior park guards and local hunters large mammal sign was encountered that additional gorilla populations ex- frequently on all surveys. Seven monkey ist within and we were able to confi rm species were observed throughout the these reports during this survey, and region, and red river hog and duiker they indicate that the occupancy area sign were identifi ed in all areas. Okapi for Grauer’s gorilla in the Maiko South trail was encountered on 4 of 6 surveys region is even larger than identifi ed by within the park boundaries (distributed this preliminary study. continuously over an area of 625 km2) Ndjula Valley, interior of the park. Our gorilla results contrast sharply and in the Mundo area to the west of An abundance of large mammal with previous data collected in this sec- MNP. Forest buffalo sign was observed trails including gorillas, okapis and tor. In their 1959 eastern gorilla surveys, in all areas, although sign was sparse elephants were found in this region. John Emlen and George Schaller iden- and concentrated predominantly along Photo: Stuart-Christopher Nixon tifi ed 4 discontinuous and isolated pop- watercourses. The MNP was created ulations in the Maiko South region, all in part to protect the endemic Congo poaching by militia groups during the of which appear to have been outside peafowl and we were able to confi rm years of insecurity, with ivory report- the current limits of the national park. the presence of this species (by call edly being traded directly for automat- Based on surveys conducted between and trail sign) in this sector on four of ic weapons between rebels and deal- 1989 and 1992, John Hart & Claude 6 park surveys and on one survey west ers from Kisangani. One local hunter Sikubwabo identifi ed only 2 small and of the park boundary. we interviewed claimed to have shot isolated populations in the Maiko South The most disturbing trend we ob- at least 150 elephants over the past 8 region and reported the extinction of at served is a drastic crash in elephant years within the region. Although local least 3 of Emlen & Schaller’s popula- abundance over the last 13 years. reports indicate concentrations of el- tions (see Schaller, 1963). Only three instances of fresh elephant ephant activity deeper in the park’s in- In 1998, Jefferson Hall and col- dung were found within Maiko National terior, we believe that elephants are in leagues reported the extinction of all Park all along trails leading to “edos” grave danger in this region and without gorillas west of MNP and identifi ed go- (swampy, mineral rich clearings fre- rapid intervention face imminent ex- rilla presence in an area of just 100 quented by elephants and other large tinction. km2 within the park boundaries, with mammals). Elephant sign was com- a total population size estimated to be pletely absent in adjacent forests. With- Human Activity and Threats 33 gorillas. in the park we observed the carcass- Human activity in the region is high. Our recent results show that popula- es of 5 elephants slaughtered for ivory Snares, mines, and hunting camps were tions corresponding to all those identi- within the last 12 months, and identi- encountered in all areas and rebels fi ed by Emlen & Schaller still persist in fi ed at least a 500 km2 reduction in oc- still maintain a presence in several this region and that gorillas currently cupancy range compared to observa- regions of the park. Local communities have a wider distribution and are more tions made in the early 1990s (Hart & are extremely poor, amenities virtually abundant than previously estimated. Sikubwabo 1994). This population de- non-existent and food insecurity is We believe that this area is an impor- cline was confi rmed by local inhabit- widespread. Domestic meat is rare tant and overlooked site for the conser- ants who reported intensive elephant and a lack of other affordable options

5 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

means that most rural families depend portedly killed north of the Lowa Riv- fully operational during 2006. Further- almost entirely on trapped wild meat as er in 1999) from a local practitioner of more UGADEC and ICCN are currently their primary protein source. traditional medicine. We also received in discussion with local stakeholders in Although we found no widespread reliable reports that at least 6 adult the Lubutu region who wish to aid in the forest clearance within the park, we ob- gorillas had been killed in the region creation of a community-based nature served high levels of shifting “slash & by military forces since 2002 and that reserve adjacent to the western and burn” agriculture adjacent to its south- 2 infant gorillas had been taken from southern park boundaries. We believe ern boundary, with large areas of for- the park during January 2005. During that a combination of national park and est being cleared for the shifting culti- a 15-day survey at Lubutu central mar- community based conservation initia- vation of manioc, rice and bananas. In ket, bushmeat accounted for 65% of tives offers the best hope in saving this this region we witnessed evidence of available protein and we know of at region’s unique biodiversity. crop-raiding by gorillas only 350 m from least one buffalo, one elephant and two Stuart-Christopher Nixon, Emile- the Kisangani–Bukavu road, a cause of forest hogs being shot by military with- Emmanuel Ngwe, Kambale Mufabule, signifi cant human-wildlife confl ict. Offi - in the park during the survey period. Francine Nixon, Didier Bolamba cially this region sits within the park's Congo peafowl and the plumed guinea and Patrick Mehlman buffer zone; however, the limits of the fowl were also observed on sale along buffer zone are currently poorly recog- the Kisangani–Bukavu road, and these Acknowledgements This work was supported by Conservation nized and we are in the process of de- principally terrestrial birds are report- International (CI) through grants from the lineating its boundaries. Our observa- edly a favored and easily trapped pro- USAID Central African Regional Program for tions that signifi cant faunal populations tein source. Environment (CARPE), and CI’sCI’s Global exist adjacent to the park boundary Immigration, mineral extraction, ivo- Conservation Fund. Bird identifi cation materi- als were generously provided by Chester dictates that the development and en- ry and bushmeat traffi cking is great- Zoological Gardens (UK). We would like to forcement of this buffer zone will be es- ly facilitated by the presence of the express our gratitude to MNP (South Sector) sential in protecting the region's wildlife paved trans-African highway that runs Chief Warden Justin Fofolo for facilitating this and reducing human-wildlife confl ict. along the southern limit of the MNP and fi eldwork and continued support during the survey period. Finally without the hard work of Unregulated mining operations serves as both the main trade route be- ICCN guards M. Assumani, L. A. Bitumba, N. (gold, diamonds and cassiterite) are tween Kisangani and Bukavu and as an Amundala, E. Sabiti, C. Byamungo, M. Ngungi, also common throughout the region. airstrip for several commercial airlines B. Nonbe, P. Mupenda, K. Mumbere, F. Bwanatembo and our numerous porters and These rudimentary operations are specializing in mineral transport. As guides this work would not have been widespread and continue to attract security returns to eastern Democrat- possible. new miners who place greater pres- ic Republic of Congo and forest areas sures on forest resources. Living con- become secure and accessible, immi- References Hart, J. A. & Sikubwabo, C. (1994) Exploration ditions within these operations (which gration and forest exploitation is likely of the Maiko National Park of Zaire 1989– may support up to 250 miners) are ex- to increase. We believe that increasing 1992: History, environment and the distribution tremely basic and sanitation is non- settlement, and associated landscape and status of large mammals. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York existent posing a serious health risk pressures, represent the most signifi - Hall, J. S., Saltonstall, K. Inogwabini, B. I. & to workers and local ape populations cant and immediate threats to the MNP Omari, I. (1998) Distribution, Abundance and alike. Due to the widespread availabil- South Sector and surrounding forests. Conservation Status of Grauer’s Gorilla (Gorilla ity of locally made shotguns and au- Despite the very real and serious gorilla graueri). Oryx 32, 122–130 Schaller, G. B. (1963) The Mountain Gorilla, tomatic weapons, bushmeat remains threats facing faunal populations in this Ecology and Behaviour. The University of the primary food resource within many region, this preliminary survey shows Chicago Press, Chicago mine areas. that despite years of limited protection Although we were informed that and widespread insecurity, a rich fau- hunters do not generally pursue apes, nal diversity still exists in the Maiko Another Grauer’s ICCN confi scated an infant chimpanzee South region, and this area remains a Gorilla Confi scated from from a local merchant (subsequently global conservation priority. Following Poachers transferred to the Lwiro sanctuary, Bu- this survey, ICCN, with DFGFI support, kavu), and we observed chimpanzee has been able to commence the fi rst After more than a week of undercover meat on sale at the Lubutu central mar- regular patrols within the Maiko South investigation, another eastern lowland ket. Further, we collected the skeletal region for almost 10 years and we an- or Grauer’s gorilla was confi scated remains of an adult male gorilla (re- ticipate that ICCN will make this sector from poachers in Goma, Democratic

6 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

Republic of Congo, on 10 October. ing any other gorillas if that is what ing for 2 other confi scated eastern low- The sting operation involved agents is decided for her. MGVP and DFGFI, land gorillas and one mountain gorilla of the Congolese national parks with some caregivers from ICCN and at different locations in the region. All authority ICCN (Institut Congolais the Rwandan parks authority ORTPN of these animals are continuing to do pour la Conservation de la Nature) (Offi ce Rwandais du Tourisme et des very well as the regional partners try with assistance from NGO gorilla con- Parcs Nationaux), are currently car- to fi nd a better solution for their short- servation partners of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) and the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Intergovernmental Meeting on Great Apes and Project (MGVP). DFGFI was alerted by foreign aid workers in Goma who First GRASP Council Meeting in Kinshasa had been offered a baby gorilla for The fi rst Intergovernmental Meeting on Great Apes and the Great Apes sale by a man on the street. That man Survival Project (GRASP) was convened from 5–9 September 2005 in and a number of his accomplices have Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the same time as the been apprehended by Congolese fi rst GRASP Council Meeting. The fi nal report and various documents are authorities and are expected to undergo available for download at the following address: prosecution for their involvement in www.unep.org/grasp/Meetings/IGM-kinshasa/Outcomes/index-reports.asp poaching and traffi cking endangered There were over 200 international delegates and more than 300 partici- wildlife. pants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 18 of the 23 great ape The gorilla has already undergone range states from Africa and Southeast Asia were represented, 9 of them an initial veterinary exam and appears by Ministerial-level delegations; there were 29 GRASP non-governmental relatively healthy physically though she organization Partners, 7 donor countries (including the UK Minister of Biodi- is clearly traumatized psychologically. versity), the European Commission, the Central Africa Forest Commission She is a female and is estimated to be (COMIFAC), 3 GRASP Patrons, and 3 of the biodiversity-related conven- under 2 years old. She is temporar- tions. Finally, there were representatives of the scientifi c community, indig- ily being cared for by MGVP and DF- enous groups and the private sector. With so many political and scientifi c GFI with assistance from ICCN, and heavyweights gathered in one place, there might at last be a glimmer of will remain in quarantine before join- hope on the horizon. At the meeting, delegates signed the Kinshasa Declaration, affi rming po- litical will at the highest level for the fi rst time in the history of the great apes; participants also adopted a global strategy for the survival of great apes, among other documents. Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo – the only country with 3 great ape species, one species and one subspecies being endemic – has the incentive to show that it really is willing to protect the highly endangered apes living in this country. Even assuming that the political will remains after the euphoria of the meeting has died down, huge problems remain. If the orang-utan habitat countries, with their relatively developed political and social infrastructure, are fi nding it diffi cult to control illegal logging, palm-oil plantations and smug- gling, what prospect is there that African countries, which mostly lack such infrastructure, will manage to take control of the bushmeat trade, illegal min- ing, and the trade in live gorillas and chimpanzees, especially in the face of continual civil strife and entrenched corruption? Yet throughout the Central African region there are individuals and com- munity groups who have been taking enormous risks to protect gorillas and chimpanzees and to preserve their habitat, regarding it as their precious heritage; some have been killed doing so. But these local groups and indi- viduals desperately need the support of their governments to be fully effec- The orphan, Pinga tive. After the Kinshasa Declaration, perhaps at last they will get it. Photo: Christopher Whittier

7 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

term care, and improved enforcement This workshop, in which the ICCN and The previous decade has had a se- of laws to halt the still continuing traf- its partners, local authorities, the na- vere impact on the conservation of the fi cking of these rare animals. tional authority for the environment, Virunga National Park and on the pop- Stuart-Christopher Nixon and the police and local NGOs participat- ulation of its surrounding region. The Chris Whittier ed, helped raise awareness of the im- ICCN reports that 109 guards have portance of Sarambwe and its protec- been killed in the defence of the park; tion. Several recommendations were the impact on the local population is Activities of a Local NGO put into words by the participants; this more severe – there is no way of telling in the Surroundings of the is an important contribution to the con- how much people have suffered. The Virunga National Park servation of this site because concrete same is true for the basic social infra- activities followed. structure, such as schools, health cen- This article is to introduce Voix de la Since then, VONA has been active tres, hospitals, dispensaries and rural Nature (Voice of Nature), or VONA in the area of reforestation, producing roads: they have been completely or for short, a NGO that supports con- and planting 85,000 seedlings with fi - partially destroyed. It is therefore dif- servation, the development of tourism, nancial support from UNDP UNOPS, fi cult to talk about conservation with- the promotion of peace and the and an additional 15,000 seedlings out mentioning development, without reduction of poverty. This is a local through the efforts of its own members. which the basic social and rural infra- NGO, which works on behalf of the In the area of health, 24 public toilets structure cannot be restored. environment and development in the were constructed and 8 others were re- VONA does not restrict its activities east of the Democratic Republic of the stored in the public markets of Goma, to reforestation and health in the pub- Congo. It was set up in 1997 with the after they had been damaged by the lic markets of the towns. It has also following objectives: eruption of the Nyiragongo Volcano in made several contributions to the res- 2002. Currently, VONA is focusing on toration of rural and tourism roads in – To spread awareness of the region’s contributions to conservation, the de- the Mikeno sector, and has undertaken fauna and fl ora; velopment of tourism and the promo- the following projects: – To promote the sustainable use of tion of peace in the surroundings of the renewable natural resources; Virunga National Park. – To support initiatives of the local population in the development of agriculture, fruit cultivation, con- struction and rehabilitation, leading to the self-suffi ciency and develop- ment of the population; – To promote scientifi c research and activities such as reforestation and measures against erosion and landslides, which fall within the framework of protecting and rehabilitating the environment.

Currently, VONA has 589 members, distributed among the territories of Rutshuru, Masisi, Lubero, Beni, Fizi and Walikale. Since its foundation, VONA has car- ried out several activities concerned with nature, health, development and rehabilitation. Amongst these has been a workshop funded by Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe on the manage- Reconstruction of the social institute of Bunagana ment and conservation of Sarambwe. Photo: Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo

8 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

– Heavy use of the road by people kima guards, to attend schools in visiting markets and by lorries on the Bunagana. route Rumangabo–Kabaya–Bukuta; 7. The construction of a maternity clinic – Easy transport of agricultural in Bunagana. and plantation products such as charcoal; None of these activities would have – Improvement of the prospects of been possible without the support of peace and the re-integration of ICCN, UNMC (United Nations Mission former fi ghters, whether already de- in the Democratic Republic of the mobilized or in the process of being Congo), UNDP/COMREC (United demobilized; Nations Development Programme), the – The provision of paid work for over World Food Programme, Berggorilla & These ex-combatants (81 in total) 100 workers for three months; Regenwald Direkthilfe, the collaboration were demobilized by VONA and – Again, spreading greater public of the local population, and the active employed in the rehabilitation of awareness of the advantages of members of VONA. social infrastructure. protecting the Virunga National Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo Photo: Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo Park; – A contribution to poverty reduction. 1. Reconstruction of the 17 km Jomba– 3. Reconstruction of the 19 km road Conservation Law Chanzu–Source Kamira road in from Kabaya to Bweza. This had the Enforcement Training in 2001. same effects as the rehabilitation of the Virunga National Park Financially supported by IUCN and the road from Rugari to Kanombe the World Food Programme, this (see above). It also allows people For more than a decade, the Congolese had the following impacts: to enter the four groupements that Institute for Nature Conservation – Facilitation of the transport of goods form the border of the Mikeno Sector (ICCN) has been working to conserve from the local population centres to within the Bwisha community. the national parks in the Democratic the markets; 4. Public awareness to nature conser- Republic of Congo without suffi cient – Facilitation of the access of con- vation in the Virunga National Park. fi nancial or institutional support. Al- servationists to tourist sites and the 5. The dissemination of the Forestry though tourism in the Virunga National gorilla conservation sites of Jomba Law of the Democratic Republic of Park once generated suffi cient reve- and Bikenge; the Congo. nues to support the ICCN’s conserva- – Facilitating the laying of a water pipe 6. The rehabilitation of the Social In- tion efforts throughout the country, a from Kamira to Jomba, organised by stitute of Bunagana, which cur- decade of civil war and unrest has Mondo Guisto (Just World: one of rently makes it possible for several resulted in the almost total collapse the development branches of the secondary school students, par- of the ICCN’s capacity to carry out its Catholic Church); this pipe brings tic ularly the children of the Bu- obligations to wildlife conservation. water to 35,000 people. In the Virunga National Park, armed – Restoration of trust and the in tro- militia and military groups still operate duction of an atmosphere of peace in the area and are responsible for reg- to the project workers; ular attacks on park stations and pa- – Attraction of new members to trol posts, taking weapons, uniforms, VONA; radio handsets and fi eld equipment, – Spreading greater public awareness and leaving rangers vulnerable and of the advantages of protecting the ill-equipped to carry out effective pa- Virunga National Park. trols. These armed groups also car- 2. Reconstruction of the 23 km road ry out large-scale poaching within the (also used by tourists) Rugari–Ka- park and, through the use of automatic nombe–Kabaya–Rumangabo. This weapons, are responsible for the deci- has permitted: mation of whole herds of elephant and – Tourists to access the conservation Road construction hippo. In consequence, areas such as site and the gorilla site at Bukima; Photo: Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo Rwindi and Vitshumbi, once famous for

9 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

advanced training. Those selected will receive new uniforms, and their sala- ries will double overnight. Most impor- tantly of all, though, for these rangers is the pride they will feel for being chosen to attend the advanced course, with a shot at being a member of an elite rapid reaction anti-poaching unit. The recently developed ranger train- ing school has fi ve large accommoda- tion tents which sleep up to 20 rang- ers per tent, one dining tent, one train- ing tent, nine toilets, and one kitchen. We have converted a disused warden’s house into a headquarters which in- cludes two offi ces, a storeroom and a medical room, and is equipped with three computers, a printer, scanner and photocopier, a satellite dish, VHF and HF radios, and a generator to pro- Aerial view of the ranger training school vide electricity and lighting. We have built a parade ground and a 100 m their large mammal populations, have made based on the individual’s charac- shooting range, and have rehabilitat- been left entirely denuded. ter, and the instructors will be looking ed the airstrip, and will soon be under- In order for the park rangers to be for individuals who demonstrate self way with the construction of a basic effective at both protecting themselves discipline, tenacity and motivation, and assault course. We have also provid- from attack as well as protecting and those that have teamwork and leader- ed two Land Cruiser Pick-Ups, a mo- monitoring the park’s natural resourc- ship qualities. torbike and two pirogues with 15 cc es, Frankfurt Zoological Society, with By the end of the basic training, the outboard engines. These will facilitate support from the London Zoological instructors will have developed a per- both terrestrial and riverine patrols as Society, the EU, the US Fish and Wild- sonal profi le for all 480 rangers which well as providing vital logistical support life Service and UNESCO, is coordi- will be held by the ICCN headquar- to the programme. nating a ranger training program which ters in Goma, and these profi les will Following the basic training, 14 will strengthen the ability of the ICCN help the ICCN and the team of instruc- ICCN trainers from Congo’s fi ve World to effectively manage its wildlife popu- tors to make the diffi cult decision as to Heritage Sites will travel to Ishango to lations in what remains a hostile envi- who should attend the three months’ undergo training specifi cally designed ronment. to enhance their capacity as instruc- A ranger training school has been tors. These men will also receive uni- built on the banks of the Semliki River forms and a salary, and will benefi t at Ishango, and is currently home to from some of the best training avail- some 60 park guards who are being able from our team of ex-British mili- put through basic ranger training and tary instructors, all of whom speak ei- selection. Over the next two months, a ther French or Swahili. Throughout the total of 480 rangers will pass through month long course, the ICCN trainers Ishango allowing the ICCN and interna- will master the techniques necessary tional instructors to assess their men- to carry out selection exercises, as well tal and physical acuity through a series as basic and advanced ranger training of standardised assessments. These to meet future requirements. On com- include timed runs, shooting accura- pletion of the course, the ICCN trainers cy, fi eldcraft and memory tests. Other Training course will be retained by the programme to less objective assessments will also be Photo: Robert Muir work alongside the British instructors

10 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 D. R. CONGO

and deliver an advanced training pack- Rebels Chased from the age to the park’s top 50 rangers who will go on to form a rapid reaction anti- Virunga National Park poaching unit. On 31 October, 500 troops of MONUC Those selected for advanced train- and 2000 of the Congolese army ing will receive three months’ training destroyed fi ve rebel camps in the in all aspects of law enforcement and Beni Virunga National Park. This operation park management operations, with an was launched because the rebels had DEMOCRATIC Mutsora Ruwenzori emphasis on modern approaches to REPUBLIC ignored an ultimatum giving them a confl ict resolution and community rela- OF CONGO deadline of 27 October by which to tions. Once trained, the rapid reaction leave the park. Gunshots were ex- unit will operate within a new frame- Butembo changed between the Congolese army i work which will enable law enforce- and the militiamen, who held out for ment activities and anti-poaching op- Semlik a long time and then escaped, but no erations to be carried out effectively Mt. Tshiaberimu casualties were reported. under extremely diffi cult and occasion- Ishango The aim of the operation, which was ally hostile conditions. This framework, scheduled to take several days, was to which will include mandatory training Lake create a weapons-free area. This in- competencies, as well as guidelines in Edward cluded all rebel groups, the FDLR as tactics, planning and coordination, will Bingi well as the Mai-Mai, who had been liv- Lulimbi provide the basis for Standard Operat- ing in the park for many years. ing Procedures (SOPs) for anti-poach- A few days later, several dozen ing operations. Key to operations is the FDLR rebels from the park killed three Rwindi u Ishasha exploitation of timely information, and of the inhabitants of the village of Bin- the SOPs will provide guidance for the Rutshur gi, west of Lake Edward, and burned systematic collection and collation of Kabaraza 7 houses. reports related to all sectors. These in- UGANDA Summary of IRIN and AFP News formation cells will be responsible for Rutshuru providing timely support for day-to-day Tongo operations within the sectors, as well as highlighting trends which could be Rumangabo Jomba used as the basis for pre-emptive op- Nyamulagira Bukima erations. Nyiragongo Frankfurt Zoological Society now has air support for the Virunga Nation- RWANDA Goma al Park, and it is hoped that monitor- Lake Kivu

ing and surveillance carried out from Rangers in our Cessna 206 will provide critical the southern information to patrols on the ground. Virunga Through combined air and ground op- National Park erations, the ICCN might once again be with new able to regain control of the park and uniforms ensure the long-term protection of its provided by endangered wildlife populations, while Berggorilla & at the same time ensuring better pro- Regenwald tection for themselves and their fami- Direkthilfe at The new Cessna used for park lies who inhabit one of the world’s most the beginning monitoring and surveillance dangerous parks. of 2005 Photo: Robert Muir Robert Muir

11 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 RWANDA

Mudslide in the Virungas The International Gorilla Conser- ns?id=mg18725074.500) and in the vation Programme (IGCP) has been print magazine, saying that the infor- Deforestation for subsistence agri- working to provide assistance to the lo- mation had been misrepresented: while culture has left much of the soil on the cal people, including encouraging pop- it is true that trauma was the most com- steep hills of the Virunga Volcanoes ulations to move to slightly less steep mon cause of death, “only part of that unstable and, therefore, vulnerable areas. IGCP continues to help people was attributed to poaching,” and that to mudslides. On 27 April, during the living along the park boundaries to fi nd there was “no evidence” of any deaths rainy season, an enormous mudslide alternatives to agriculture, in hopes of from infl uenza or parainfl uenza virus- carrying with it boulders, trees, and warding off future erosion problems. es, although it is indeed “possible” that large amounts of water, crashed down In addition, IGCP and other partners such viruses are present in the popula- in Rwanda, killing at least four people. are working on reforestation of the park tion. In a different abstract, MGVP pre- Seven children were reported missing. boundaries. sented data showing that some moun- It destroyed vast areas of the landscape Summary of an AWF press release tain gorillas are seropositive (i.e. have and more than 17 homes. antibiodies) against infl uenza, parain- Shortly after the mudslide, Rwan- fl uenza and other viruses, or at least dan police and military accompanied Respiratory Diseases in viruses very closely related to those. guards from the Volcano National Park Mountain Gorillas Lastly, they took issue with the head- to the site of destruction to provide as- line itself, saying that “nothing in [their] sistance, evaluate damage and assess On 9 July this year, in a piece headed study implies that tourism poses any the risk of continued erosion in the “Gorilla deaths show tourists should additional health risk to gorillas“ and area. Rangers from Uganda provided keep their distance”, the New Scientist that tourism is essential as an incen- assistance, too. Their reports indicated published an article to the effect that tive for the gorillas’ conservation, but it that no damage occurred on the Ugan- poaching is the most important cause must “continue to be very strictly con- dan side of the volcano. of death for mountain gorillas, and trolled.” MGVP is preparing a publica- respiratory diseases like infl uenza or tion that will discuss this study in detail. parainfl uenza come second. The report The mountain gorilla population is the was based on an abstract presented only population of great apes whose at the annual meeting of the Wildlife numbers are increasing in the wild. Disease Association and a subsequent interview. “The Mountain Gorilla Vet- erinary Project (MGVP), based in Ru- hengeri, Rwanda,” the article stated, “investigated 100 gorilla deaths dating back to 1968. The team found that 40 were due to trauma, for which poaching is almost always the cause in adults. More surprising was the detrimental effect of respiratory diseases, including infl uenza A and parainfl uenza viruses, which killed 24 of the animals. In a bid to cut the risk of people passing these diseases on, eco-tourists who trek to see the gorillas in the wild already have to stay at least 7 m away, and keep their visits to no more than an hour.” Subsequently, this story has been widely reported in the internation- Boulders that the mudslide left al press. It occasioned a response behind (above) and a house that from the MGVP, which was pub- was destroyed by it. lished on the New Scientist website Photos: Médiatrice Bana/IGCP (http://www.newscientist.com/article. Photos: Christoph Lübbert

12 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 UGANDA

Number of Gorilla Visitors Increased For 12 years, the number of tourists permitted to visit a gorilla group in Uganda was limited to 6 persons per day, whereas in Rwanda and Congo the maximal number for many years has been 8. Several new studies from the Virungas and Bwindi suggest that smaller visitor groups are clearly preferable because they are less Kitahurira: painted walls in the stressful and less dangerous for the ranger house (above) and the new gorillas. Despite this, the Uganda latrine (below). Wildlife Authority (UW (UWA)A) has now Photos: Y. Verkaik, D. Speidel decided to increase the permitted size of a tourist group to 8. According to the Ugandan newspa- per New Vision, a statement released by UWA said there was an increasing New water tank in Ndego: here, as demand for gorilla tourism in Uganda, in the other two outposts, the water especially in the peak seasons of June, supply was secured for all the July and August: “This move will in- rangers; this solved their most crease revenue for UWA, tour opera- urgent problem. tors, hotels and local communities and Photo: Dieter Speidel enhance the capacity of UWA to imple- ment its conservation programme”.

Renovation of Ranger Outposts in Bwindi

It has taken more than a year, but now the three ranger outposts Ndego, Ruhija and Kitahurira in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are in good shape again. Repairs had been needed urgently, the needs of the rangers being paramount. The work was funded by Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe. Local labour- ers and contractors repaired and paint- ed the roof sheets, fi xed and painted windows and doors and performed all kinds of special work on the various buildings. Water supply being the most urgent problem in all of the outposts, new water tanks were installed. Front of the offi ce of the Ruhija outpost: cracks were repaired, the ceiling painted, cover beads fi xed, the splash apron repaired. Photo: Yvonne Verkaik

13 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

Habitat Protection for Cross River Gorillas in Cameroon

Until recently, the critically endangered subspecies of gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli, inhabiting the rainforest region across the Cameroon-Nigeria border, was afforded little habitat protection on the Cameroon side of the border. Across the border in Nigeria, two of the three main forest blocks inhabited by Cross River gorillas are already located within protected areas (Afi Mountain and the Cross River National Park). In Cameroon, however, all Cross River gorilla subpopulations identifi ed exist in either Forest Reserves (Takamanda and Mone River Forest Reserves) or non-classifi ed forests (Mbulu- Njikwa). A further subpopulation is located approximately 40 km east of the Mone River Forest Reserve in the forests of Bechati-Fossimondi-Besali, which is also categorised as a non- classifi ed area and borders a proposed timber concession. Without increased protection status, all of these forested Map: Daniel Slayback areas could be reassigned in the future for timber exploitation, and the non- tection actions recommended for Cam- covering 67,599 ha, to a National Park. reserve areas will be at risk of destruc- eroon stipulated the need to increase Following this, in January 2005, a tion from expanding agriculture. the protection status of the Takaman- government Public Notice was issued To address the conservation threats da Forest Reserve to a similar status for the creation a gorilla sanctuary in to the continued existence of the Cross to that of the contiguous forests of the the Kagwene Mountains (1,880 ha), an River gorilla, a conservation strategy Okwangwo Division, Cross River Na- area located in the eastern section of was developed by participants during a tional Park in Nigeria and, to develop a the Mbulu Forest, stretching towards second international Cross River goril- land-use plan for the Mone River For- the Bamenda highlands. la workshop held in Cameroon in 2003, est Reserve and Mbulu Forest in Cam- Kagwene was fi rst identifi ed as an organized by the Wildlife Conservation eroon, incorporating a network of pro- important area for Cross River gorillas Society (WCS). The recommendations tected areas and corridors. by WCS researchers in 2001, and since resulting from this forum were validat- 2002 WCS fi eld teams have been stud- ed by the Ministers responsible for En- Proposed Protected Areas ying gorilla ecology in this region. As a vironment and Forests of Cameroon In response to these urgent protection direct result of the data recorded over and Nigeria (reported in Gorilla Journal recommendations, two major develop- three years, particularly on the gorillas’ 27, 2003). ments have been announced by the ranging behaviour, WCS together with Two prominent conservation actions Government of Cameroon, Ministry the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife de- were identifi ed by participants: the ur- of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF). In lineated and proposed this important gent need for increased law enforce- July 2004, the government stated their gorilla site for offi cial protection. The fi - ment activities and the protection of intention to upgrade the status of the nal decree offi cially gazetting this area Cross River gorilla habitat. Habitat pro- Takamanda Forest Reserve, an area is expected in the near future.

14 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

Alhaji S. O. Abdulsalam, has been able to construct a magnifi cent 4-room building in one of the most remote and inaccessible locations in the entire country. Undaunted by the challenging conditions, and despite escalating costs, the park engineer completed the job as specifi ed and to a high standard. Additional funds to complete the building were provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The building has living quarters and offi ce space for rangers and research staff and also has toilets, bathroom, kitchen and a cell. A team of more than 10 park rangers has already been post- ed to the site. Additional work is still required, however, and the building is not yet fi nished. At present the rang- ers must draw their water from a near- Three members of a gorilla group in the proposed Kagwene Gorilla by stream, so it is planned to install an Sanctuary overhead water tank supplied by ei- Photo: Jacqueline Sunderland-Groves ther a gravity-feed system or a water pump. The building also requires radio These initiatives represent sig- Mbulu. Proposals to protect sites and communication equipment, solar pan- nifi cant progress towards the overall corridors must also address human re- els and simple basic furniture such as conservation goal of actively protect- quirements. Despite these challenges, beds and chairs. ing Cross River gorillas in Cameroon signifi cant progress is being made to- and increasing their survival prospects wards the protection of Cross River go- Revovation of Research Camps in the wild. The area of Takamanda is rillas and their habitat and we continue As reported in the last edition of the situated in the most western range of to build on these achievements. Gorilla Journal, Berggorilla & Re gen- Cross River gorillas in Cameroon, how- Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves wald Direkthilfe donated the sum of ever, and Kagwene in the most east- 4,000 Euros to the Wildlife Conserva- ern range. This project is funded by the Wildlife tion Society for the renovation of re- In 2001, I identifi ed at least three Conservation Society, United States search camps in the Afi Mountain further sites where gorillas existed in Fish and Wildlife Service, WWF-African Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS) and the Mbe the forest blocks located between Tak- Great Apes Programme and the Margot Mountains. Supervised by the AMWS amanda and Kagwene: these are in Marsh Biodiversity Foundation. Conservation Coordinator, Ubi Sam, a the Mbulu Forest and the Mone River variety of construction materials such Forest Reserve. In order to maintain future connectivity between all these News from Cross River groups or subpopulations, it is impera- State, Nigeria tive that a network of protected areas and corridors is realised in these areas. Construction of the ranger post at WCS is working with the Government Anape, situated right on the very edge of Cameroon and other collaborators of the Boshi Extension forest area to develop an overall land-use plan for of the Okwangwo Division of Cross these areas. This is challenging given River National Park, has now been that there are a signifi cant number of completed. With US$ 23,000 received communities scattered throughout the from Kolmården Zoo in Sweden, the The Anape ranger post area, particularly within the forests of Director of Cross River National Park, Photo: Andrew Dunn

15 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

sion whilst on patrol in the area and CITES Recommendation for Wildlife Trade with by visiting researchers. Surveys of am- phibians and birds have recently been Nigeria completed. Nigeria was one of the fi rst countries to become a signatory to CITES We can report that no cases of goril- (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna la poaching have been received during and Flora), an agreement that has been in force since 1975. As the trade in the last 12 months. endangered species in Nigeria is not always handled according to CITES Andrew Dunn regulations, the national authorities have been criticized by conservationists for many years. At its 53rd meeting in Geneva in June/July 2005, the CITES Standing Conservation of Chim- Committee discussed “a report from the Secretariat regarding the imple- panzees and Gorillas in mentation of the Convention in, and illicit trade from, Nigeria and agreed that Western Equatorial Africa insuffi cient progress had been made by Nigeria in relation to its action plan to improve implementation of CITES”. A plan that identifi es the priority sites In a notifi cation dated 19 July 2005 to its members, CITES recommend- and actions needed to promote the ed that “all Parties should refuse any import from and export or re-export to conservation of the two subspecies of Nigeria of specimens of CITES-listed species. This recommendation will re- ape, western lowland gorillas (Gorilla main in effect until Nigeria has enacted adequate legislation for implemen- gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzees tation of the Convention and will only be withdrawn once the Secretariat (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), across has confi rmed, by in situ verifi cation, that CITES is being adequately imple- their shared geographic range was mented in Nigeria.” recently completed. It was the major One of the reasons why CITES made this recommendation is the illegal outcome of a workshop that brought export of apes – gorillas and chimpanzees – from Nigeria on several occa- together 70 experts, including re- sions during the last few years; two widely discussed gorilla cases were the searchers, government representatives smuggling of a baby that was fi nally killed by a veterinarian in Egypt and the and conservation managers in Brazza- “Taiping Four" – 4 gorillas that were sold to a Malaysian zoo and are now in ville in May 2005. The workshop and South Africa. The latest case was the smuggling of six chimpanzees out of publication were supported by grants Nigeria in February 2005. from United States Fish and Wildlife Many cases of wildlife smuggling from Nigeria have been reported to the Service Great Ape Conservation Fund, CITES Secretariat, they have continued to be numerous and severe, and the UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival the CITES Secretariat concluded that the national authorities did not en- Project (GRASP), the Cleveland Park force the law suffi ciently to prevent these abuses. Although Nigeria is not Zoological Society, the Primate Action the only country that has failed to implement CITES, much endangered wild- Fund, the Centre International de life probably is exported from there because Nigeria is a large and populous Recherches Médicale de Franceville, country with a long tradition in trade of all kinds. Of course, the CITES Sec- Gabon, the French Ministry of Foreign retariat should pay equal attention to other countries, too. Affairs, the Wildlife Conservation In Nigeria, the recommendation will hopefully encourage the government Society, the Center for Applied Bio- to prevent CITES violations in the future, and it might make it more diffi cult diversity Science at Conservation now for individual dealers to export wildlife – which will potentially improve International and the Wild Chimpanzee the conservation of great apes. Foundation. Surveys in western equatorial Afri- ca in the 1980s indicated that healthy as timber, cement and roofi ng sheets Located high up on the slopes of populations of both gorillas and chim- have been purchased in Calabar and this mountainous region both research panzees existed in many areas remote transported to the site; these heavy camps will provide a more secure and from human settlements. materials are slowly but surely being comfortable base for gorilla trackers, However, despite the fact that this carried up the mountain by a steady whose job it is to monitor the gorillas region has one of the lowest human stream of porters. Construction work that survive in these mountains. The population densities of any tropical for- proper will commence as soon as the camps are also used by rangers of the est area in the world, ape populations rains have fi nished. Cross River State Forestry Commis- are, today, in dramatic decline. This

16 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

is largely because of increased com- Priority populations were identifi ed Twelve priority areas were identifi ed as mercial hunting, the spread of logging, during the workshop using the best well as 2 areas where present data which alters forest structure and facili- available data and a set of criteria to are inadequate to assess their impor- tates poaching, and because of Ebola evaluate population size, area of site tance for ape conservation as are prior- haemorrhagic fever. There are many and the importance of the site for bio- ity sites for surveys. These areas, list- site-based, national and international diversity in general. Methodological ed in the table on page 18, cover over projects that work to conserve great problems precluded consistent reliable 150,000 km2 of priority habitat for the apes in this region, but the continu- distinction between gorilla and chim- protection of gorillas and chimpanzees ing, rapid decline indicates that past ef- panzee nests and, in addition, many and contain the largest populations re- forts are not suffi cient, and that more surveys were conducted more than maining in the region. The majority of is needed. The aim of the action plan 5 years ago. Thus, workshop partici- the priority sites include existing pro- is to provide a clear investment plan pants agreed to adopt the precaution- tected areas with buffer zones of for- for researchers, conservationists, and ary principle in considering numbers of ests allocated as commercial logging donors and, most importantly, to assist “apes” (rather than gorillas and chim- concessions. habitat country governments in devel- panzees separately) and a post-hoc Preparation for the Brazzaville work- oping strategies for the conservation of evaluation of the quality of the popula- shop included the development of the great apes. tion estimate for each site was made. APES database (Ape Populations, En- vironments and Surveys) by research- ers at the Max Planck Institute for Evo- lutionary Anthropology. This revealed the extensive knowledge gaps that remain, and clear research priorities emerged at the workshop, including the urgent need to improve census meth- ods and our ability to monitor trends in ape populations over time. In addition, the emergence of Ebola as a major threat to apes in this region has dramatically complicated the chal- lenge of protecting apes. Since the ear- ly 1990s, repeated outbreaks of Ebola have very drastically reduced ape num- bers in large regions of northern Ga- bon and northern Congo, and there are current epidemics in Odzala-Koukoua National Park. Research on possible Ebola containment strategies will re- quire new alliances between laborato- ry and fi eld-based scientists in a range of disciplines, including virology, epi- demiology, ecology and conservation, as well as logistical support from hab- itat country governments and health authorities. Without new focussed re- search to reduce these knowledge gaps the design of conservation strat- egy and the effectiveness of implemen- tation will remain compromised. The three major threats to apes in Priority areas for the conservation of apes in western equatorial Africa western equatorial Africa are poach- Map: Stephen Blake, WCS ing, disease and the spread of logging

17 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

Score for Size of Score for Rank for Quality of estimated area size of importance of population Country population size (km2) area site for other taxa estimate Exceptional Priority Areas Odzala/Lossi/Pikounda- Ngombe/Ntokou complex Republic of Congo 5 41,900 5 4 4 Lac Tele/Likouala complex Republic of Congo 5 29,545 5 4 3 Sangha Trinational Cameroon/C. A. R./ complex Republic of Congo 5 27,908 5 4 5 Loango/Moukalaba- Doudou/Gamba complex Gabon 5 13,062 4 4 4 Dja conservation complex Cameroon 5 6,238 3 3 4 Boumba-Bek/Nki complex Cameroon 5 6,110 3 4 3 Lopé/Waka complex Gabon 4 10,129 4 4 3 Important Priority Areas Ivindo complex Gabon 4 6,527 3 3 2 Rio Campo/Campo Eqatorial Guinea/ Ma’an complex Cameroon 4 5,843 3 4 5 Belinga-Djoua Gabon 4 3,453 2 4 1 Mengamé Cameroon 4 1,219 1 4 3 Conkouati/Mayumba Gabon/Republic of complex Congo 3 7,066 3 3 3 Priority Survey Areas Ebo/Ndokbou conservation complex Cameroon 3 2,677 2 2 1 Maiombe Forest Angola/D. R. Congo/ Transboundary Initiative Republic of Congo 2 8,000 3 2 1

Priority areas for the conservation of chimpanzees and gorillas in western equatorial Africa as determined by consensus at the 2005 workshop in Brazzaville Population size: 5 >4,000 apes; 4 >2,000; 3 >1,000; 2 >500; 1 >250. Area of site: 5 >16,000 km2; 4 >8,000 km2; 3 >4,000 km2; 2 >2,000 km2; 1 >1,000 km2. Importance for conservation and sustainable forest management, attributed at the 2000 WWF-sponsored Libreville biodiversity vision workshop: 4 highest; 3 high; 2 medium; 1 low. Quality of data available for the estimate of ape population size, based on the time elapsed since the data were collected and methodology: 1 unsubstantiated (presence/absence or surveys undertaken before 2000); 2 low quality (Recce surveys after 2000, or single transect survey after 2000, with <50 km survey effort); 3 minimal quality (single transect survey after 2000 with >50 km effort in a specifi c area, or multiple transect surveys after 2000 with <50 km effort in different areas); 4 good quality (multiple transect surveys after 2000 with ≥50 km effort in different areas); 5 best quality (multiple transect surveys after 2000 with ≥50 km effort in different areas and nest decay rate available for the area and density estimate into remote forest blocks. Commercial tected areas. Without strict control, the gional level. hunting for the bushmeat trade was roads and transport opportunities cre- Western lowland gorilla and chim- identifi ed as a major threat at all of the ated by industrial logging systematical- panzee populations in western equa- priority ape conservation sites. Ebola ly lead to a massive increase in com- torial Africa are in steep decline. We currently threatens apes in the excep- mercial bushmeat hunting. The action do not know exactly how many re- tional priority site of Odzala and is a po- plan summarizes debate at the work- main, but the alarming average annual tential future threat elsewhere. Logging shop in the form of recommendations rate of decline of 4.7% in Gabon be- emerged as a signifi cant threat espe- for the immediate and longer-term miti- tween 1983–2000 and the high mortal- cially in concessions surrounding pro- gation actions that are needed at a re- ity (>80%) recorded in two studied pop-

18 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

ulations affected by Ebola underline a cess and transport opportunities in the Reed, Allard Blom, Peter Walsh, Steve critical state for conservation and the key protected areas and logging con- Blake & Rebecca Kormos. Conservation need for urgent reinforcement of their cessions identifi ed as ape strongholds. International, Washington DC. 36 protection. Clearly, enforcement must be accom- pages The protection of the 12 priority ape panied by awareness and education Plan d’action regional pour la con- populations identifi ed in the regional campaigns and the creation of jobs and servation des chimpanzés et des action plan would guarantee, if suc- appropriate incentive systems for rural gorilles en Afrique Centrale (2005). cessfully implemented, the survival of populations. Compilé et édité par: Caroline Tutin, the majority of apes remaining in west- Once an ape population is reduced Emma Stokes, Christophe Boesch, ern equatorial Africa. The consensus by hunting or disease, its capacity to David Morgan, Crickette Sanz, Trish reached on a clear list of the most ur- recover is very limited, due to very slow Reed, Allard Blom, Peter Walsh, Steve gently needed activities for each site reproduction and complex social be- Blake & Rebecca Kormos. Conservation provides strong conservation strate- haviour. Females give birth for the fi rst International, Washington DC. 36 gies for the immediate future and we time at about 12 years of age for goril- pages estimate that, with about 30 million dol- las and 14 for chimpanzees. Thereaf- The regional action plan is available lars over the next 5 years, this could be ter they give birth only once every 5 to in pdf format in English or in French. achieved. We hope that funding agen- 6 years. Even with perfect protection Please contact Rebecca Kormos cies will understand the urgency of the from hunting, it would take roughly 150 ([email protected]@conservation.org) situation and seize the opportunity to years for populations to recover from support such a broad agreement. high levels of mortality documented in The list of priority sites is not “set past Ebola epidemics. A Note on the Affi nities of in stone”, nor are their geographical The “natural protection” afforded in the Ebo Forest Gorilla boundaries, as conditions can change the past by the large remaining blocks rapidly and some areas, such as the of forest habitat isolated from human The discovery of an important new two identifi ed, need surveys to estab- activities is eroding as logging spreads and hitherto unsuspected population lish the present status of apes, while into the most remote parts of the west- of gorillas was announced in 2004, in others were too small in size to be in- ern equatorial region of Africa. The ad- Ebo Forest, Cameron (Morgan 2004), cluded but contain populations that may dition of Ebola to poaching and habitat which is at about 4°30’ N, 10°30’ E. have long-term viability. Without effec- loss has created a potent cocktail of Biogeographically, its importance is tive monitoring of wild ape numbers threats to apes in this region. Strong that it lies 100 km to the north of the and health status, optimal conservation political will for conservation and en- Sanaga River, which forms a boundary will not be possible; there is, therefore, vironmental protection exists in west- between sister species or subspecies extreme urgency to advance applied ern equatorial Africa, as well as mech- within other species. For example, the research on these issues in addition to anisms for cooperation at a regional moustached monkey (Cercopithecus reinforced multi-disciplinary investiga- level. This provides hope that, with in- cephus) occurs to the south of it, and tion of Ebola prevention in the face of creased international aid, implementa- is replaced by the red-eared monkey this extremely potent new threat. tion of the recommendations of the ex- (Cercopithecus erythrotis) to the north; It is illegal to kill or capture apes pert group who met in Brazzaville in it forms a boundary between different in all of the habitat countries of Pan May 2005 can be achieved quickly and species in three genera of small noctur- troglodytes troglodytes and Gorilla go- this will make a very signifi cant differ- nal primates (angwantibo – Arctocebus; rilla gorilla, thus law enforcement is ence to the survival of chimpanzee and needle-clawed bushbaby – Euoticus; the central thread of the conservation gorillas in these six countries. Allen’s bushbaby – Sciurocheirus); the strategy. Effective law enforcement re- Caroline Tutin, Emma Stokes, mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) lives to quires a huge investment but, given Rebecca Kormos, Christophe Boesch the south of it, and the drill (Mandrillus this, it would have an immediate posi- leucophaeus) lives to the north, al- tive effect for apes. In the face of the Regional Action Plan for the Con- though according to Grubb (1973) staggering ongoing decline, dampen- servation of Chimpanzees and Gorillas drills are also known from immediately ing the impact of commercial hunting in Western Equatorial Africa (2005). south of the river’s mouth. In cases on apes is the easiest action to imple- Compiled and edited by: Caroline Tu- of more widespread species, the ment – through arrest and prosecution tin, Emma Stokes, Christophe Boesch, Sanaga often forms a barrier between of poachers, and through control of ac- David Morgan, Crickette Sanz, Trish subspecies – including, supposedly,

19 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

the chimpanzee. Finally, two primate it is much more likely to be a population species are actually restricted to the that does not fi t into any of the known region north of the Sanaga: Preuss’s “demes” of western gorillas – a relict, red colobus (Piliocolobus preussi) and that is to say, of a formerly more wide- Preuss’s guenon (Cercopithecus – or spread population living north of the Allochrocebus – preussi). Sanaga. Indeed, Morgan et al. (2003) The Sanaga River separates the drew attention to two other gorilla pop- Ebo gorillas from the known distribu- ulations apparently surviving north of tion of the western lowland gorilla (Go- the river. rilla gorilla gorilla); the other subspe- In this context, it is relevant that the cies of western gorilla, the Cross Riv- researchers observed drills, not man- er gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli), is also drills, and Cercopithecus erythrotis, not found north of the Sanaga, but 250 km C. cephus, in Ebo (Morgan, 2004): re- further north, spanning the Cameroon- Detail of the map on page 17, call that these are species typical of the Nigeria border, and separated from the showing the location of the Ebo north bank of the Sanaga. If the Ebo Ebo Forest by Mt Cameroon and the region. The gray area near the Forest were an isolated fragment of the Bamenda Highlands. upper left corner is the Korup Cameroon Plateau forests, cut off, say, Morgan et al. (2003) described and National Park at the border with provided some measurements of a Nigeria; the Cross River region is skull which they had found in a nearby located north of this park and no village. They noted that in two meas- more visible in the map. urements, basion-inion and palate lengths, it seemed to resemble G. g. High scores on the fi rst Discriminant gorilla rather than G. g. diehli. Function mainly indicate skulls with a To test the affi nities of the skull from relatively long basion-inion length and Ebo, I added the measurements given long palate compared to the gener- by Morgan et al. (2003) to an extensive al length and breadth measurements. data fi le of gorilla skull measurements, High scores on the second Function in- and used Discriminant Analysis (SPSS dicate skulls with a relatively long brain- version 12.0.2) to compare the skull case and long face. The fi rst Function with samples of the three geographi- accounts for 71% of the total variation cally closest populations: Cross Riv- in the sample; the second, for the re- Two skulls of western gorillas from er (19 skulls); Cameroon Coast (Bi- maining 29%. the Berlin Natural History Museum pindi and Edea districts, 24 skulls); As the diagram shows, the three that were collected in Cameroon: and Cameroon Plateau (Batouri and samples do not separate very well, a specimen from the region west of Yaounde districts, 25 skulls). The fi rst although, as might be expected, the the Dja Reserve (above) and a of these samples represents Gorilla go- Cross River skulls are more distinct Cross River gorilla from the rilla diehli; the other two represent G. from the Plateau and Coast samples Takamanda area (below) g. gorilla. than these two are from each other. Photos: Hendrik Turni Discriminant Analysis is a meth- The position of the Ebo skull is very in- od which uses all available measure- teresting: it falls well away from both ments simultaneously to fi nd the rel- Cross River and Coast samples, and ative amounts of difference between at the outer edge of the Plateau sam- three or more samples; in this instance, ple. What the Ebo gorilla is certainly there being three samples, the program not is a derivative of a coastal popula- calculated two Discriminant Functions. tion isolated by a southerly displace- Having found the differences between ment of the river’s mouth, still less is it the three samples, I entered the meas- a southeastern range extension of Go- urements of the Ebo skull as an un- rilla gorilla diehli. It could be a recently known, to see which of the three sam- isolated population of Plateau gorillas; ples it would most resemble. but, considering its peripheral position,

20 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 GORILLAS

Gabon: 10% of the Country Will Be Turn- ed to National Parks Gabon announced on 24 Sept- ember that it will set aside 10% of its land mass for a system of national parks which contains some of the most pristine tropical rainforests on earth. Percentage- wise, only Costa Rica has set aside more land for conservation, by a course change of the Sanaga, one population, which should be protected though the total size of its parks is would have expected mandrills and C. as soon as possible. much smaller. cephus. Colin P. Groves Up to this point, Gabon had no There seems to be one further re- national park system. Some 13 spect in which the Ebo gorillas are un- References national parks comprising more Grubb, P. (1973) Distribution, divergence and usual: there are “good numbers” of red speciation of the drill and mandrill. Folia Primat. than 10,000 square miles will colobus in the same forest. This makes 20, 161–177 now be established, protecting the forest of very particular interest: in Morgan, B. (2004) The gorillas of the Ebo vital habitat for gorillas, chimpan- most areas where gorillas are present, forest, Cameroon. Gorilla Journal 28, 12–14 zees, forest elephants and oth- Morgan, B. J., Wild, C. & Ekobo, A. (2003) red colobus are absent, and vice ver- Newly discovered gorilla population in the Ebo er wildlife. Much of the land set sa. Red colobus are, for example, ab- Forest, Littoral Province, Cameroon. Int. J. aside was based on years of fi eld sent from almost the entire range of Primat. 24, 1129–1137 research by the Wildlife Conser- the western gorilla, and from the low- vation Society (WCS(),which has land portions of the distribution of Goril- studied Gabon’s wildlife since la beringei graueri, between the Maiko 1985. and Lowa Rivers. Gorillas in turn are In 2000, WCS, along with absent from Korup, where red colobus WWF began a survey of Gabon’s are numerous, and from the eastern remote areas in order to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, broadly government develop a national speaking north of the Maiko and south park system. Many of the new of the Lowa. The main regions where parks will be developed for eco- red colobus and gorillas are sympatric tourism, as an economic alterna- would appear to be the Ngotto Forest tive to exploiting Gabon’s forests (in the Central African Republic) and for timber. A commitment of U. the mountain forests west of the West- S. funding will help fund this en- ern Rift Lakes. deavour. For quite a number of reasons, A young gorilla confi scated in Summary of a WCS press therefore, the Ebo Forest gorillas would Cameroon release seem to be a unique and signifi cant Photo: LAGA

21 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 READING

Jan Kremers (ed.) Julian Caldecott and Lera Miles Plumptre, A. J. (2002) The Extent and The primate visual system: a com- World Atlas of Great Apes. UNEP Status of the Forests in the Ugandan parative approach. Hoboken (John World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Albertine Rift. (7.3 MB) Wiley & Sons) 2005. 382 pages. Hard- Berkeley (University of California Bush, G. K., Nampindo, S., Aguti, C., cover, US$ 135, ISBN 0-470-86809-0. Press) 2005. 456 pages, 150 colour Plumptre, A. J. (2004) Valuing Uganda’s illustrations, 50 maps. Hardcover, US$ Forests: A Livelihood and Ecosystems Rosie Woodroffe, Simon Thirood 45.00, £ 29.95, ISBN 0-520-24633-0. Approach. (1.9 MB) and Alan Rabinowitz (eds.) Owiunji, I., Nkuutu, D., Kujirakwinja, D., People and Wildlife, Confl ict or FAO Liengola, I., Plumptre, A .J., Nsanzu rwi- Coexistence? Cambridge (Cambridge State of the World’s Forests 2005. mo, A., Fawcett, K., Gray, M., McNei- University Press) 2005. 517 pages, Situation des forêts du monde. Rome lage, A. (2005) The Biodiversity of the 32 line diagrams, 30 tables. Hardcover (FAO) 2005. Virunga Volcanoes. (2.4 MB) ₤ 75, ISBN 0-521-82505-9. Paperback The chapters of the document The Greater Virunga Landscape. ₤ 38, ISBN 0-521-53203-5. are individually available for down- (560 KB) load in PDF format at http://www.fao. Diane K. Brockman org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_ Seasonality in Primates. Cambridge file=/docrep/007/y5574e/y5574e00. (Cambridge University Press) 2005. htm (English) and at http://www.fao. 574 pages, 97 line diagrams, 3 half- org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_ tones, 51 tables. Hardcover, ₤ 70. ISBN fi le=/docrep/007/y5574f/y5574f00.htm 0-5218-2069-3 (French). Download of the complete PDF version is possible at ftp://ftp.fao. Vernon Reynolds org/docrep/fao/007/y5574e/y5574e00. The Chimpanzees of the Budongo pdf (2258 KB) in English and in French Forest: ecology, behaviour, and con- at ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/ servation. New York (Oxford University y5574f/y5574f00.pdf (2356 KB). Press) 2005. 352 pages. Paperback, ₤ 32.50, US$ 65, ISBN 0-19-514226-8. Hardcover ₤ 70, US$ 135, ISBN 0-19- From the Internet 851545-6. Global Witness published a report Didier Babin called Under-Mining Peace: Tin – the Beyond Tropical Deforestation. Explosive Trade in Cassiterite in Eastern Paris (UNESCO, CIRAD) 2004. 526 DRC (June 2005). Download as PDF pages. Hardcover, Euro 65. ISBN (1.9 Mb) at http://www.globalwitness. 92-3-103941-5 org/reports/download.php/00242.pdf This report is also available in French Theodore Trefon (ed.) (2.4 Mb): http://www.globalwitness.org/ Reinventing Order in the Congo: reports/download.php/00243.pdf Gorilla Book for Schools How People Respond to State Failure The Wildlife Conservation Society’s’s in Kinshasa. London (Zed Books) 2004. Albertine Rift Programme published Waltraud Ndagijimana has written a 224 pages. Hardcover US$ 75, ISBN several interesting reports on the inter- book about the life of the mountain 1842774905. Paperback ₤ 17.95, ISBN net. You fi nd an overview at gorillas for school children in Uganda. 1842774913. http://albertinerift.org/arift-home/arift- It describes a day in the life of a gorilla publications/reports – these documents family and gives an impression of their Pamela S. Turner are available there, among others: behaviour, and also of the threats Gorilla doctors: saving endangered McNeilage, A., Plumptre, A. J., Brock- that they face. The book was printed great apes. Boston (Houghton Doyle, A., Vedder, A. (1998) Bwindi in Uganda with funds of Berggorilla & Miffl in Co.) 2005. For children Impenetrable National Park, Uganda Regenwald Direkthilfe and distributed aged 9–12. 48 pages. Hardcover, Gorilla and Large Mammal Census, in primary schools close to the US$ 17. ISBN 0618445552. 1997. (7.7 MB) Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

22 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Donations Members’ Meeting 2006 We will meet in the Rittergut Lützen- sömmern in Thüringen. If you want to We thank everybody who supported Our next members’ meeting will be on register, you can use the registration us from June to October 2005! Major 11/12 March 2006; the language will be form provided on our website (www. contributions and donations were German. We will bring the participants berggorilla.de/deutsch/aktuell/anmeld. received from Klaus and Christa up-to-date on our activities over the html) or obtain a form from Rolf Brun- Baumgarten, Jane and Steuart Dewar, past 2 years, and report on the present ner at our organization address. Horst Engel, Michael Erhardt, Jörg and situation in the countries where we have Marianne Famula, Stefan Faust, Susan recently supported projects. Several Götsch, Evelyn Hoffmann, Hundeleben, members are planning to visit various Frank Jacobi, Volker Jährling, Karin projects in January 2006, and they will Gorilla Journal on the Internet Linke, Angela Meder, Artur Reichl, talk about their trips. Christoph Lübbert, Er win Rosenkranz, Dieter and Elke who has just published the second You can download this Gorilla Schmitz, Frank Seibicke, Jörg Steffen, edition of his Uganda/Rwanda travel Journal issue at: Nina Sündermann, Jörg Steffen, guide, will be present at the meeting, www.berggorilla.de/gj31e.pdf Friedrich Stier, Eva Titz, Heiko Weber, as will some GTZ experts who will talk as well as the German issue: Elisabeth Zaruba and the Münster about their experiences in Africa. We www.berggorilla.de/gj31d.pdf Zoo. Bernd-Ullrich Reitz donated a will present our plans for the next few and the French issue: part of the proceeds from his sale of years, and there will be an opportunity www.berggorilla.de/gj31f.pdf plush gorillas. Our member Christian for questions and discussion. von Gehren collected funds on the occasion of his wedding, and a school class in Göttingen sent a donation. We are very grateful for the help of these persons and institutions as well as all the other supporters whom we could not name here!

We are very grateful to Nouvelles Approches for the translation of the Gorilla Journal to French again!

Nouvelles Approches, a Belgian based NGO, works to safe- guard the national parks of the Democratic Republic of Con- go. We are the only NGO currently active in Upemba and Kundelungu National Parks of Katanga Province and we collaborate with the GTZ in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. The fact that almost every member of our Board of Trus- tees has lived or is still resident in the D. R. Congo, is an as- set that gives us good knowledge of the country. We main- tain permanent contacts in Bu kavu, Lubumbashi, and Kin- shasa. We keep excellent relationships with the ICCN and all national and international organizations involv ed in con- servation in Central Africa. The No. 1 gorilla

Michel Hasson Nouvelles Approches a.s.b.l. safari company Rue E. Branly, 9 Boîte 35 1190 Bruxelles, Belgium Fax : (00322) 732 27 08 www.volcanoessafaris.com [email protected] [email protected] UK · T +44 (0)870 870 8480 www.nouvellesapproches.org N° identifi c. nationale: 10281/97

23 Gorilla Journal 31, December 2005 Journey to the Gorillas Africa Adventure Touristik Kurt Niedermeier For further information contact: Mgahinga Safari Lodge is a luxury lodge, perched at the tip of a peninsula jutting into the waters of Lake Mutanda, in southwestern Uganda. The lodge is the ideal setting from which AFRICA ADVENTURE TOURISTIK to track the mountain gorilla in nearby Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or during a day trip Kurt Niedermeier to Rwanda or Congo. Seeshaupter Str. 17 All our visitors have seen the mountain gorillas! D-81476 Munich/Germany Africa Adventure Touristik will be pleased to design individual safari tours to the Phone: +49-89 759 79 626 mountain gorillas, all over Uganda and neighbouring countries. We offer our services all- Fax: +49-89-759-79-627 in-one, design of tours and reservation/booking in Germany, transportation in Uganda and E-mail: [email protected] neighbouring countries, mainly with own guides/drivers and own cars, operating Mgahinga [email protected] Safari Lodge, situated right in the middle of all national parks where mountain gorillas are http://www.aat-gorilla.com living. We offer tours to the mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, already designed and often Next expected tour for club members: tested. Please have a look at our website and/or contact us. Sept. 4th, 2006

Subscription to the Gorilla Journal If you become a member, you will receive the journal regularly. If you want to receive the printed journal without becoming a member, we would be grateful if you could make a donation to cover our costs. The costs to send the journal overseas are abut US$ 20. If you do not need the printed version, we can include your email address in our mailing list and you will be informed as soon as the PDF fi les are available (contact: [email protected]).

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