Today's update:

There is fighting going on near Bukima between the rebels and the army as I write. My Rangers at Rumangabo can hear the exchange of heavy gunfire. This started yesterday afternoon. Apparently the rebels are losing - that is what I read and what I hear, but who knows. I am just leaving Goma and driving up there now.

One of our Rangers has also died in a car accident. He was coming back from Rubare, on the main road north of Rumangabo, and fell out of the pick-up. He was taken to hospital but died from brain damage. He was coming back with other Rangers from an anti-charcoal burning patrol. We will pay his widow a monthly stipend of $30 out of the donations made on this blog.

I am also coordinating the distribution of rations and essential non-food items to the Rangers who evacuated the Gorilla Sector and are at Rumangabo. There are 34 in total. This will come of out of the crisis cell money that many conservation NGOs have contributed to: FZS, WildlifeDirect, DFGF(I), WWF, IGCP and ZSL. Up until now we were using rations that had been bought for patrols, that we were not able to do because of the fighting.

Thank you for your words of support and encouragement.

Director Norbert Mushenzi

For $15 a month you can help provide rations for the rangers in the park. For $30 a month you can help support the families of rangers killed. If you want to help, please donate here.