[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Gorilla Warfare -aint no joke



For the following story, a Question, are there any gorillas of the ape
species in Burma? No, I am not referring to Slorc, that would be too
much of a degrading slur against our compassionate and misunderstood ape
friends. I nearly became a primatologist at Yale with animal expert
David Pilbeam. Its easier to communicate with these primate species than
Slorcies... 

Some people can't take a joke. But this is really not a joking matter.If
you like gorillas and are against natural catastrophes, like war ans
Slorcs.  (this story just came on my email box, from an eco list, so i
thought i would share it, out of respect and good conscience, sorry if
it offends some the higher species)

Dawn Star 
EBN (paris) 
> 
> This news story is from the Environment News Service:
> http://www.envirolink.org/environews/ens/
> ---
> 
> AFRICAN GORILLAS SURVIVE WAR
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8, 1997 (ENS) - With the chaos of civil war and massive
> human suffering in Zaire, credible information about the mountain gorillas
> who live there has been scarce. Based on reports as late as yesterday from
> African Wildlife Foundation's (AWF) field representative and Regional
> Coordinator for the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP),
> Annette Lanjouw, the gorillas do not appear to be adversely affected by the
> human activities going on around them.
> 
> An estimated 620 mountain gorillas live in Zaire, Rwanda and Uganda and are
> the focus of the IGCP's conservation and protection efforts.
> 
> Reporting from AWF's Nairobi, Kenya office, Lanjouw was in Goma, Zaire
> until late last week. She says that while Goma is the headquarters for the
> opposition alliance forces, most fighting is taking place on the western
> front, far from the gorilla habitat of eastern Zaire. Nonetheless, there
> are security problems that restrict traveling to the gorilla sites in Zaire
> and Rwanda.
> 
> "There are still small pockets of Rwandan refugees in the park. Some of the
> refugees are involved in guerrilla warfare; so, it is unsafe for us to
> travel to some areas. Even the park guards are not able to get into certain
> parts of the parks," explained Lanjouw.
> 
> Nonetheless, the gorillas appear to be in little danger, assures Lanjouw.
> "The sector where the mountain gorillas are found is on the border with
> Rwanda and is used as a passageway - a transit zone - where the refugees
> move from one sector to another, across the border. But it is mostly an
> area where the refugees are just moving through."
> 
> The situation is not nearly as perilous for the mountain gorillas as it was
> before the recent repatriation of 750,000 refugees who, while there,
> subsisted on the resources surrounding gorilla habitat.
> 
> Lanjouw says telecommunication is virtually impossible in Zaire; so
> information has been slow in coming. Nonetheless, she maintains, "that
> doesn't mean the gorillas haven't been followed. We have people in the
> field who are following them as often as they possibly can. They are seeing
> the gorillas on a regular basis."
> 
> While in Zaire, Lanjouw received heartening information from field
> researchers who said the gorilla families they recently observed are in
> good health, and their families are intact. One such family is that of a
> silverback, Rugabo, whose death during the Rwandan conflict in 1995 was
> highly publicized. Today, Rugabo's young son has taken over leadership of
> the family group and is actively defending it from competing males who are
> vying to replace him.
> 
> While Lanjouw reports the gorillas are in no immediate danger, she is quick
> to point out the many challenges that lie ahead. "Right now the United
> Nations is assisting us with funding. We are receiving food for the park
> guards through the United Nation's "Food for Work" program so they can eat.
>  But we don't know how long we will be able to receive support. With the
> unstable political situation, it is difficult to do long-term planning."
> 
> Prior to the political conflicts, Zaire's and Rwanda's highest sources of
> revenue came from gorilla tourism. But, as Lanjouw points out, the return
> of that revenue "must come from long-term stability so that tourists will
> come back to the region. It is going to take time to rebuild that
> international confidence." Which means that while the mountain gorillas
> appear to be safe for the time being, their future is far from secure.
> 
> African Wildlife Foundation is the oldest international conservation
> organization working solely in Africa. IGCP is sponsored by African
> Wildlife Foundation in partnership with Fauna and Flora International and
> the World Wide Fund for Nature.
> 
> 
> ---
> The EnviroNews Service              | E-Mail: newsdesk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> A Project of the EnviroLink Network | Phone : (412) 683-6400
> General Info: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx   | Fax   : (412) 683-8460
> 
> To un/subscribe, send an e-mail message to: listproc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  with
> the word: HELP as the body of the message, and then follow the directions.
> 
> EnviroLink is a member supported non-profit organization, for membership
> information, visit: http://www.envirolink.org/membership  or call (800)
> 328-7211
> 
> IF YOU WISH TO REPRINT ANYTHING WITHIN THESE ARTICLES, please send e-mail
> to: admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx to request permission.  All information contained
> within is Copyright (c) 1997 The EnviroLink Network unless noted otherwise.