Stop CITES And Congolese Government From Exporting Virunga Gorillas And Wildlife to China

Multiple species of highly protected/endangered wildlife will be shipped to China soon from the DR-Congo. These include six gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), eight Bonobos, eight chimpanzees, four manatees, and ten Okapis per zoo.

Two zoos = double the number

- 12 gorillas

- 16 bonobos

- 16 chimpanzees

- 8 manatees

- 20 Okapis

The Species

Gorilla beringei beringei: Critically Endangered

Eastern Gorillas (Gorilla beringei) live in the mountainous forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northwest Rwanda and southwest Uganda. This region was the epicentre of Africa’s “world war”, to which Gorillas have also fallen victim. The Mountain Gorilla subspecies (Gorilla beringei beringei), has been listed as Critically Endangered since 1996.

Bonobos: Endangered

Due to high levels of illegal hunting, and habitat destruction and degradation, Pan paniscus is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the last 15–20 years and it is thought that this reduction will continue for the next 60 years.

Currently, by far the greatest threat to the Bonobo’s survival is poaching for the commercial bushmeat trade. It has been estimated that nine tons of bushmeat are extracted daily from a 50,000-km² conservation landscape within the Bonobo’s range.

Chimpanzees: Endangered

Although Pan troglodytes is the most abundant and widespread of the great apes, and many populations exist in protected areas, the declines that have occurred are expected to continue, satisfying the criteria for an Endangered listing (Oates 2006).

Due to high levels of poaching, infectious diseases, and loss of habitat and habitat quality caused by expanding human activities, this species is estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the past 20–30 years and it is suspected that this reduction will continue for the next 30–40 years.

Manatees: Vulnerable

The level of threats, particularly hunting and incidental catches, appears to be continuing to increase throughout range with locally high rates and near extirpation in some regions.

Lack of protein and continued poverty for human populations, and limited enforcement of national laws, are expected to drive increasing illegal hunting levels.

Destruction of coastal areas due to development, mangrove harvesting, siltation and dams are resulting in reduced habitat. We infer a high probability that a 30% or greater reduction in population size will result within a 90 year three generation period.

Okapi: Endangered

Okapi have been undergoing a decline since at least 1995 that is ongoing and projected to continue, in the face of severe, intensifying threats and lack of effective conservation action which is hindered by the lack of security.

The rate of decline is estimated to have exceeded 50% over three generations (24 years), based on figures from surveys in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Réserve de Faune à Okapis; RFO) suggesting a 43% decline over the period 1995-2007, which some reports suggest continued in the period thereafter.

The RFO remains the best protected site and it is inferred that the rate of decline here is at least equalled in other parts of the Okapi range.

These species, some of which are endemic to the DRC, will end up in Taiyuan and Anji Zhongnan Zoos in China.

Taiyuan Zoo

A lion at a zoo in China apparently ate part of its tail after keepers apparently forgot to feed it. The case highlights the poor conditions that many animals in Chinese zoos are forced to endure.

Video footage shows the lion, which appears to be female, looking malnourished and pacing a small, bare caged area it was sharing with another lion in Taiyuan Zoo in Shanxi province.

About half of its tail appears to be missing, with a bloody stump visible at the end of what remainsand more three calves imported into China in November 2012 are still languishing in miserable conditions inside Chinese zoos. The health of these 3 calves remains a major cause for concern.

Anji Zhongnan Zoo: This is not a garden. It is an amusement park with zoo, theme park.

Naturally, there are many plants too, but this place is certainly not designed in the vein of garden. Animal lovers beware: most of the animals are treated poorly - this is certainly not an exception in China.

Almost all of them walk on concrete and some huge animals like lions have few metres of space. So better skip it if you’re sensitive in that regard.

Chinese authorities made this request as part of the bilateral agreement between the ICCN (Institutions Congolais pour la conservation de la nature) and Chinese zoos.

Following the request by Mr. Liu Min Heng, executive director of Tianjin Junheng International Trade Corporation to import these animals to the Minister of Environment, nature conservation and Sustainable Development, Mr. Amy Ambatobe Nyongolo announced the arrival in China, of a team of Congolese experts with the mission to ensure good reception and best conservation of these different species in these zoos.

The agreement stipulates that any offspring of these animals should be introduced into the wild, in their natural habitat in the DRC, something which is unlikely due to many challenges, mainly the constant Congolese state’s lack of resources to carry out such exercises.

Even though the process is said to be legal and above board, nobody knows what the government of the DRC got in return for the trade of these precious animals and national heritage.

The bilateral relationship between China and the DRC seems to be a one way street where China dictates, thus getting the lion’s share.

No Chinese endemic species are here in the DRC nor experts from China are involved in any conservation within the DRC yet they can make requests for anything they want from our fauna and flora and get it.

THE PETITION

Following the letter of the Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development, Mr. Amy Ambatobe Nyongolo, the director of the ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature), Pasteur Dr. Cosma Wilungula, responded that the ICCN is required to respect the provisions of the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and related Congolese laws.

These provide that export can not be done for commercial purposes. This means that the Scientific Authorities of the DRC and China as well as the the Chinese Trader will have to get approval from CITES for an import and export permit.

The CITES Convention is an international agreement between governments that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Sign Adams Cassinga’s petition and ask DRC government and CITES not to allow the export of Virunga Gorillas and DRC’s endangered and vulnerable wildlife to China.

These species need to gain greater protection in their natural habitats and not die in a far away zoo.


Tourism Observer

CONGO DR: Government Allows Oil Exploration In Virunga And Salonga National Parks ,Environmental Activists Oppose

WEST AFRICA: Gorillas And Chimpanzees Under Threat

Gorillas and chimpanzees may be twice as numerous in West Africa as previously thought, but the apes are still endangered, declining fast and in dire need of protection, an international study found Wednesday.

Prior estimates were based on nest counts taken from isolated areas across the great apes’ habitat range, said the report in the journal Science Advances.

The new count uses mathematical modelling to project likely ape numbers in areas where their nests haven’t been directly surveyed by people.

The estimates are based on other factors known to influence ape numbers, such as proximity to roads and people, and recent outbreaks of Ebola virus which can be deadly.

Spanning 59 sites in five countries surveyed over 11 years, it is the most comprehensive and accurate dataset ever compiled on these apes, said one of the lead authors, Fiona Maisels, conservation scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The results show that western lowland gorillas in western equatorial Africa number nearly 362,000, up from prior estimates of 150,000-250,000 individuals.

And chimpanzees in the area are expected to number almost 129,000, up from earlier counts of 70,000 to 117,000.

But despite the larger numbers, researchers still found a speedy drop in the population in recent years, which means the apes are still in danger of going extinct.

Some 19.4 percent of the gorilla population was lost between 2005 and 2013, said the report.

At this rate, the gorilla population is expected to plunge 80 percent in just three generations.

Maisels said researchers are pleased to have a more accurate number, but cautioned that it does not change the gorillas’ status as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Nor does it change the characterization of chimpanzees as endangered.

What we are worried about is the gorillas are going down to a tune of 2.7 percent per year, Maisels said.

The other kind of worrying thing is that the majority of gorillas and chimps do not live in protected areas, she said.

As many as 80 percent of the great apes live outside protected areas, according to the study.

About 60 percent of all known gorillas and 43 percent of chimpanzees live in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Gabon is home to 27 percent of the gorilla population and 34 percent of chimpanzees.

High densities of both apes also live in southern Cameroon.

Even though killing gorillas is illegal worldwide, hunting remains the top threat to survival, followed by disease and habitat loss.

More anti-poaching efforts are needed, both inside and outside protected areas, said the report.

Better land planning could help preserve the apes’ high-quality habitat.

Given that gorillas are more numerous and chimpanzees are more ecologically resilient than expected, and that large areas of ecologically functional great ape habitat remain, we are hopeful that robust conservation policies.

Well-managed parks, and responsible industrial practices can stop their declines and provide for secure and thriving populations, the study concluded.


Tourism Observer

DR CONGO: Two British Tourists Kidnapped And A Female Ranger Killed In Virunga National Park

Some tourists were kidnapped and a convoy attacked in the Virunga National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo's famed haven for gorillas and other endangered species, a park source said.

The source did not specify the nationality of those abducted but said their guard was seriously injured.

A local journalist also tweeted about the kidnapping.

I confirm an attack on our convoy, Joel Wengamulay, the park spokesman said, without specifying if tourists were targetted or had been kidnapped.

On April 9, five rangers and a driver were killed in an ambush in the park, which was established in 1925.

One of the most important conservation sites in the world, it covers 7,800 square kilometres (3,011 miles), or three times the size of Luxembourg, along a swathe of eastern DR Congo abutting the border with Uganda and Rwanda.

Virunga is home to about a quarter of the world's population of critically-endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos.

But it is located in DR Congo's North Kivu province, where armed groups are fighting for control of territorial and natural resources, and poaching is a major threat.

It is believed they were visiting the world-famous gorilla sanctuary the Virunga National Park.

The tourists were reportedly taken on a route after a ranger was killed in the park today in North Kivu.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that the two Brits have been kidnapped.

An FCO spokesperson said We are in close contact with the authorities in Democratic Republic of the Congo following an incident involving two British nationals, and our staff are providing support to their families.

Radio Okapi, a local radio station said two British tourists were kidnapped and a female ranger had been killed 10km from Goma, which is a region south of Virunga National Park.

The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation confirmed that two British tourists and their driver were kidnapped while a park guard was killed this morning.

A park spokesman told CNN that security staff were immediately deployed after there learned of the incident.

The Congo is currently faced with an outbreak of Ebola and the World Health Organisation is planning for the worst case scenario.

The WHO’s Deputy Director-General of Emergency Preparedness and Response Peter Salama is waiting for the country’s government to allow them to deploy a vaccine.

This will be the ninth time the virus has affected Congo and nine countries have been warned to prepare for the “worst case scenario”.

Between 2014 and 2016 Ebola swept across West Africa killing at least 11,000 people.



Tourism Observer

DR CONGO: Virunga National Park Sadly looses Six Rangers To Poachers Or Rebels

Six rangers were killed on Monday in an ambush in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Virunga National Park is a popular home for the rare mountain gorillas.

“We have sadly lost six rangers,” park spokesman Joel Malembe said, adding that the team was ambushed while driving between the sectors of Lulimba and Ishasha, near the border with Uganda.

A seventh ranger, the team’s leader, was wounded, he said.

The park, established in 1925, describes itself as Africa’s oldest national park.

One of the most important conservation sites in the world, it covers 7,800 square kilometres (3,011 miles), or three times the size of Luxembourg, along a swathe of eastern DR Congo abutting the border with Uganda and Rwanda.

Virunga is home to about a quarter of the world’s population of critically endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos.

Virunga National Park is located in North Kivu province, where armed groups are fighting for control of territorial and natural resources, and poaching is a major threat.

The park’s director, Emmanuel de Merode, a Belgian national, was himself wounded in a road ambush between the park and Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in May 2014.


Tourism Observer

IVORY COAST: Becoming A Major Tourist Destination

Comoe National Park
The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is back as a destination on the world stage as the Ivorian government makes resources available to develop infrastructure and support international marketing efforts.

IFTM Top Resa is considered a priority market for the National Office of Tourism of Côte d’Ivoire. We have a long-standing historical relationship with France and it is a natural move to be present at IFTM Top Resa every year, especially as French inbound is our top market next to the whole of Africa, explains Roger Kacou, Minister of Tourism.

We use the opportunity of our presence at the show to organise many meetings with French tourism professionals, such as a meeting to talk about marketing promotion and cooperation with the President of SNAV, Jean-Pierre Mas, he adds.

Côte d’Ivoire remains a relatively small destination when looking at numbers: 1.2 million foreign travellers in 2O15, which includes business, leisure and VFR travellers – but this is a steady market, growing year after year. Tourism is turning into an important economic activity in our country.

Just imagine; it had a share of only 0.6% of our GDP in 2011. In 2014, it stood already at 4.8% and we are now at over 5%”, says Kacou. We believe that tourism might, in the future, have a similar share of GDP to cocoa, our largest industry, with a GDP share of 12%.

The Côte d’Ivoire government leverages two main fields for the promotion of tourism. First, the country has, since 2011, identified the regions able to support the development of the destination. “They are basically ten areas ready to welcome international travellers.

Abidjan and its metropolitan area is one, with Grand Bassam, a colonial city, which is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage and is a precious cultural tourism asset. We then have our 550 km long coast, which is ideal for the development of seaside tourism. It starts from Jacqueville, in the proximity of Abidjan and stretches up to Sassandra and San Pédro, two important seaside resort cities”, adds the Minister.

San Pédro is already the country’s second most important port and now has an international airport. Our coast is made of lagoons and bays, offering safe conditions for travellers, explains the Minister.

In the north, the government has identified Kong and Korhogo as key cultural destinations. Kong has a number of centuriesold mosques while Korhogo is a destination for the discovery of the Senoufos ethnic people, who, says the Minister, are famed for its dances as well as their handicrafts. We have indeed over 60 different ethnics living in the country and we now work to see how to promote this diversity.

The Republic has also some beautiful national parks. Taï National Park, in the south, is probably the best known in the country. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and has some of the last families of intelligent Chimpanzees.

The clever animals are even able to crack nuts with a nutcracker! Another important natural asset, and also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is Comoe National Park with its rare endemic animals.

We might not be Kenya, but we have some of Africa’s most pristine reserves and national parks with over two million hectares of savannahs and rainforests, smiles Kacou.

The Minister says that to accompany the development of tourism, the country’s infrastructure has been greatly improved since 2011: We now have a motorway linking Abidjan to Yamassoukro and are currently building one between Abidjan and San Pédro. We also opened six regional airports within the country, all linked to Abidjan by our national airline, Air Côte d’Ivoire.

The Ivorian people are an asset unto themselves. We have a great sense of hospitality and also a good sense of humour. I promise that we know how to make our guests at ease and give them the best of our country. Everyone is truly welcomed in our country. I believe this is our most precious asset, concludes Kacou.



Tourism Observer

IVORY COAST: Animal Trafficers Sentenced To Six Months In Prison

Two men have been sentenced to six months in prison in the first case of wildlife trafficking brought in Ivory Coast.

A government lawyer said the judgement sends a signal that animal trafficking is being taken seriously.
The men were arrested while trying to sell an infant chimp to a BBC reporter posing as the representative of a wealthy Asian buyer.

Chimpanzees are in such sharp decline they are listed as endangered.Those in West Africa are judged to be critically endangered.
Since Ibrahima and Mohamed Traore have remained in prison since their detention last December, they are deemed to have already served their sentences and are therefore free.

Infant chimpanzees are in huge demand as pets in homes and commercial zoos in the Gulf states and China.
The dealers were arrested in a dramatic raid staged by Ivorian detectives working with international police organisation Interpol, acting on information.

During the operation, a baby chimpanzee later named Nemley junior was freed and taken into the care of wildlife officials.
After becoming used to the keepers at the zoo in Abidjan the baby chimpanzee showed signs of recovery.
However he has since become unwell with wildlife experts raising concerns for his future.

According to a local charity, although Nemley junior is feeding, he remains thin.One major concern is that he is too small to join older chimps at the zoo but becomes stressed if kept on his own.

In the wild, baby chimpanzees usually stick close to their mothers for four to five years.

Nemley junior was seized by poachers who would have killed his parents and other members of his family.
During the investigation, Ibrahima Traore sent videos of baby chimpanzees for sale, some were only a few months old.He boasted of his ability to evade international export controls.

One technique, which he demonstrated in a video, was to hide a chimp in a secret compartment in a shipping case with other less rare animals, which can be legally exported, placed above it.

Another smuggling method that he outlined was to obtain forged or fake copies of international export permits.
These are issued under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) and are only supposed to be used for legitimate transfers between registered institutions.

During the BBC investigation, Ibrahima sold to the investigators one of these permits, apparently issued by the National Parks department of Liberia.

We are delighted that the first ever wildlife crime prosecution in Ivory Coast has resulted in a conviction, a custodial sentence and a fine," Cites secretary-general John Scanlon said.

He also commended the authorities in the Ivory Coast for pursuing the prosecution of the criminals, thereby sending an important message to the community that wildlife trafficking was a criminal offence.

Currently under Ivorian law, the maximum penalty for wildlife crime is one year in prison. A new law with tougher penalties is being prepared.

The lawyer acting for the Ivory Coast government, Mohamed Lamine Faye, said:
"Even if we would have liked a harsher sentence, we can only function within the limits of our laws on the protection of endangered animals, which date back to 1965."

He apointed out that chimps were kept as pets by thousands of Ivorians, and the national and international trade is lucrative.
In court the Traorés admitted they could receive $1,400 (£1,100) for a chimp. If they sell 10 in a year, that is more than enough to have a comfortable life.

In demand as pets in wealthy homes or as performers in commercial zoos, baby chimpanzees command a price tag of $12,500, a little under £10,000, but sometimes more.

Each capture of a live infant like this one exacts a terrible cost on chimp populations.

The usual tactic used by poachers is to shoot as many of the adults in a family as possible. This prevents them from resisting the capture of the baby and their bodies can then be sold as bushmeat. To obtain one infant alive, up to 10 adults are typically slaughtered.

One has to kill the mother, one has to kill the father, explained Colonel Assoumou Assoumou, an expert in wildlife crime with Ivory Coast Police. If our ancestors had killed them, nowadays we wouldn't even know about chimpanzees.

Once captured, these baby chimps then enter a sophisticated chain that stretches from the poachers in the jungles to middlemen, who arrange false export permits and transport, and ultimately to the buyers.

The animals are in high demand in the Gulf states, south-east Asia and China, with buyers prepared to pay high prices and additional fees to help bypass international controls. And while they may be well looked-after while they are young, chimpanzees soon become too strong and potentially violent to be kept in a home.

Karl Ammann, a Swiss wildlife activist who campaigns against chimp trafficking, describes it as a kind of slavery and warns that when chimps cease being cute infants, they face a terrible fate.

They still have 90% of their life ahead of them, he said. They get locked in some cage and maybe even killed in some cases because they have outlived their useful pet stage. That for me is just impossible to accept.

An estimated 3,000 great apes, including orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees, are lost from the wild every year as a result of illegal trade, according to the UN Environment Programme. They are either sold, killed during the hunt or die in captivity.

About two thirds of the apes lost are chimpanzees, an endangered species.

Western chimpanzees are judged to be especially vulnerable, so are categorised as critically endangered. There are no more than 65,000 left and probably far fewer.

Some 1,800 apes were seized by authorities in 23 countries while being trafficked between 2005 and 2011, according to the Great Ape Survival Partnership, an alliance of more than 100 governments and other organisations. A quarter of those apes rescued were chimps.

Although it is unknown how many smuggled apes reach their destinations undetected, investigations suggest the total is almost certain to be higher than previously thought.

The illegal trade in great apes is made possible by the determination of the smugglers and the ease with which international laws on buying and selling endangered species can be evaded.

Trading of endangered wild animals and plants is tightly controlled under the Cites agreement - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - which aims to protect all wildlife under threat.

Under the convention, chimpanzees, which are awarded the highest level of protection (a listing under what is known as Appendix 1), can only be exported under a very limited number of exemptions. For example, the animals need to have been bred in captivity (which is not known to happen in West Africa) and exporting and importing organisations need to be registered with Cites.

At Interpol, which facilitates international law enforcement cooperation, wildlife smuggling is a priority, but national governments have stipulated that the funding and investigative effort should be focused on the highest-profile threats, such as the slaughter of elephants and rhinos.

David Higgins, manager of Interpol’s Environmental Security Unit, admitted the region of West Africa had not been a priority - and nor had the smuggling of great apes.

Because such crimes did not threaten the economic well-being of a country, or its political stability, they did not compel governments to respond, he said, and the resources were simply not there.

Without the funding, we can’t do anything, he said. So with primates, unfortunately, our information is not as strong as it could be.

He urged states to step up and offer the required financial investment.

Yes, we need the global community’s attention on this and we call upon that level of support.

Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre

The Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre, popularly known as the Entebbe Zoo, is buzzing with activity.

Pupils from Kabojja Junior School are milling around the enclosure, holding five-year old Charles Hamukungu, the popular young male elephant who is enjoying his breakfast of elephant grass, watermelon, pawpaw, pineapple, eggplants and carrots. Charles eats 40 kilogrammes of grass, fruits, solid tubers, dried hay and vegetables daily.

Charles is the only elephant in the zoo and has proved to be a major attraction of the Behind the Scenes tour organised by the centre to bring parties of students to see and interact with the animals.

At 10:30am at the Budongo Chimpanzee Island Exhibit, the chimps are having their second meal of the day, made up of an assortment of fruits, tubers and vegetables.

They feed four times a day. Visitors are allowed to feed them during meal times and the chimps are clearly enjoying the attention as they clap and hold out their hands to be given food. The children and a few accompanying adults are enjoying the interaction.

Interaction with animals is one of the major objectives of the centre.

The zoo, located 32 kilometres south of Kampala, and a five-kilometre drive from the Entebbe International Airport, was started in 1952 as an animal orphanage and a rescue centre for injured young animals or those separated from their parents. Later, in 1960, it was changed into a zoo. It sits on 70.5 hectares of land.

The political instability of the 1980s was bad for the zoo as many animals died from neglect. However, in 1994, the government stepped in and renamed it the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) to teach the public, especially young people, about wildlife and the need for its conservation for the benefit of the community and for tourism. Today, the centre employs 54 full time staff and has over 50 casual workers and volunteers working round the clock.

The zoo today holds chimpanzees, white rhinos, lions, zebras, donkeys, giraffes, elands, duikers, buffalos, Uganda kobs, monkeys, serval cats, leopards, a camel, warthogs, and two cheetahs rescued in Karamoja by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, among others.

As we walk around the fence of the chimpanzee exhibit, zoo keeper Nicholas Muyindo says, “When we have them on this Budongo Chimpanzee Island, they feel at home just like they would in the forest.” The chimpanzee exhibit is dotted with car tyres hanging on ropes and half buried in the ground. The chimps climb the trees and swing on the tyres to fight boredom, shed excess weight and energy, and to keep remain active.

There are 14 chimps at the zoo, including 54-year-old Zakayo, who was rescued in 1972. He fathered Shaka, the only chimp born at the centre.

The centre’s executive director, James Musinguzi, says that product differentiation is what makes the zoo unique.

“We offer experiential tourism and educational products that have created repeat visits by our clients. We have the Behind the Scenes tour that gives visitors a glimpse into the daily lives of the animals such as the chimpanzee feeding; Keeper for a Day and Veterinarian for a Day, where visitors join the staff in tending to the animals; Giraffe Feeding, Elephant Walks, Shoebill Greeting, Rhino Touch and Cheetah Runs. All these programmes involve close interaction with the animals under supervision of the zoo staff. The centre also offers cottage accommodation and camping facilities.”

Musinguzi further noted: “What makes this zoo special is that it has been rebranded as a widow on Uganda. We have recreated Uganda’s ecosystems here. We also have naturalistic exhibits where we keep our animals close to the wild environment. We don’t have cages and the animals roam freely, one of the basic wild animal welfare practices. We also have special conservation education programmes that target different age groups.”

TANZANIA: Lenient Sentences By Courts Of Law Fail To Protect Wildlife

Lenient sentences issued by courts of law have been mentioned as part of obstacles in maintaining sustainable conservation of the national parks.

Rubondo Island National Park Acting Chief Park Warden, Mr Emmanuel Kaaya, sounded an alarm that there is a need to review some laws as poachers find them too soft and keep degrading the parks.

He gave an example that some poachers and illegal fishermen who destroy fish breeding grounds, catch huge numbers of fish and degrade the environment that has been conserved for long, but end up getting a few months behind bars or conditional discharges.

"We are facing a huge challenge because we try our best to protect the park, arrest poachers but when we get to the court they are given lenient sentences, such as a 20,000/- fine and conditional discharge while what they get in their illegal activities is highly valued," said Mr Kaaya.

He noted that in the last financial year some 700 people were arrested for going against the Tanzania National Parks Act, Wildlife Act as well as the Fishing Act.

Mr Kaaya noted that most of the culprits come from Misongo, Ikuza, Maisome and other parts of Chato District and that many are not residents near the area; hence it is difficult to trace them.

However, he commended the courts for a job well done in dealing with such matters, noting that more than 95 percent of the cases are won by the park. He appealed for the media to promote national parks so as to increase tourists, both local and foreign and hence boost national income.

Mr Kaaya noted that a lot of resources are employed to protect the park but there are fishing camps around it. He attributed this to low numbers of tourists to the island which is not known. However, he said strategies have been put in place to promote it.

The park has offered support to the community, such as construction of a dispensary at Maisome, an administration block at Maisome Secondary School as well as office equipment and desks.

Tourism Warden, Mr Fadhili Kimambo said the park boasts of many animals such as bushbucks, elephants, giraffe, chimpanzees and snakes in a thick, well conserved forest.

Protecting Animals From Extinction

Dr. Jean Felix Kinani and Elisabeth Nyirakaragire treating a wild mountain gorilla in the
Volcanoes National Park.
As a schoolboy, one of Jean Felix Kinani's favourite pastimes was visiting the zoo in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he grew up.

"My father always told me that 'you should become a vet'," says Kinani. "...and that's partly why, when I completed high school, I joined the veterinary school at the University of Lubumbashi."

But young Kinani's dreams of becoming a veterinary doctor were almost shattered when he was forced to drop out of university when the First Congo War broke out in 1996, eventually sending DRC's then president Mobutu Sese Seko packing.

Things moved from bad to worse when the war ended due to the resulting "friction" between Congolese and people of Rwandan origin. Kinani's only feasible option was to move to neighbouring Senegal, from where he completed his bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine in November 2003 at the Cheikh Anta Diop University.

"Because I was moving from Belgian to the French system, it took me many more years to complete my course as I was required to start all over again. In total it took me nine years to complete my bachelor's degree," he recalls.
Upon completion of his education, Kinani moved to his motherland in Rwanda, where his family had already relocated to. On arrival, he was requested to work with the Ministry of Agriculture's artificial insemination centre but Kinani declined because "I wanted to work with wild animals, especially mountain gorillas."

In 2004, Kinani got his preferred job at the Mountain Gorilla Veterinay Project, an organisation of vets that monitors the health of mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park.

When he first set foot on the Volcanoes National Park, mountain gorillas in the Virunga massif were teetering on the brink of extinction, with their numbers standing at a paltry 380.

Like many other endangered wild animals in Africa, conventional wisdom held that a tidal wave of poaching constituted the biggest threat to the existence of Virunga's iconic mountain gorillas.

But this is also due to the fact that poaching is the most publicised problem because it produces grisly photographs of animals with severed heads and missing hands, attracting a lot of media attention. In fact, field observation showed Kinani that disease and injuries due to snare traps contributed even much more.

Poachers would often set snares in the park hoping to catch a small antelope for the pot. But because snares don't discriminate, a gorilla would end up catching its hand in the wire and suffering terrible lacerations as it struggled to free itself. The resultant wounds would often cause infections and sometimes lead to death.

"Before, when a young gorilla was trapped by a snare, the older ones would just forcefully pull it off, which exposed the infant to serious injuries and loss of blood," says Kinani.

The vet goes on: "Sometimes the trapped gorilla could spend days on the snare without anyone coming to its rescue. To solve this problem, we trained trackers who could rescue them as soon as they heard a gorilla screaming. They would then call us to work on those in need of lifesaving interventions, a move that saved the lives of many gorillas."

Over the years, Dr Kinani and his team were able to easily respond to several life-threatening situations, especially gorillas caught in snares intended to trap other animals in the forest or those that suffered from life-threatening respiratory diseases.

Dr Kinani and his colleagues worked hard to prevent transmission of respiratory diseases from humans and other domestic animals to gorillas. Between 2006 and 2010, Kinani ran a programme whose role was to immunise not only humans but also dogs and cats living near the Volcanoes National Park.

"Because humans share 98 per cent DNA with mountain gorillas, these animals can be affected by most of the diseases that affect us. Diseases like rabies, measles, pneumonia and TB affect both humans and gorillas," he offers.

To effectively monitor the health of mountain gorillas, Dr Kinani's Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project set up a mountain gorilla clinic to treat wounded and sick captive gorillas and chimpanzees.

"Most of the gorillas we treated at the clinic were confiscated from poachers," says Kinani, whose other roles at the Mountain Gorilla Veterinay Project included research and training trackers and young veterinarians.
Kinani shares most of his experiences in his book, "Respiratory disease among mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda (2005- 2011)’’, which he wrote after completing his master's degree in Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Management.

Together with his team, Kinani's penchant for mountain gorilla conservation helped increase the endangered species' numbers from 380 in 2003 to 480 as indicated by the fourth mountain gorilla census that was carried out in 2010 -- a remarkable 24 per cent increase seven years later. Kinani himself was part of the team of field assessors who carried out the census.

According to a 2011 study, the increase in numbers of mountain gorillas owes much to Dr Kinani and his colleagues. After tracking numbers of mountain gorillas in the Virunga massif between 1967 and 2008, it was found that there was an annual population growth rate of 4.1 per cent for habituated gorillas and an annual decline of 0.7 per cent for the unhabituated ones.
"Veterinary interventions could account for up to 40 per cent of the difference in growth rates between habituated versus unhabituated gorillas, with the remaining difference likely arising from greater protection against poachers," the study concluded.

During his time in the Virunga, Dr Kinani also researched on the behaviour of mountain gorillas. For instance, in 2013, he documented tool use by wild mountain gorillas when he observed the species using tools to eat food. The vet went on in 2015 to publish a report titled Tool Use for Food Acquisition in a Wild Mountain Gorilla in the American Journal of Primatology.

In 2013, Kinani also made another astonishing discovery when he observed a mountain gorilla drinking water for the first time. It was an interesting finding by Dr Kinani, seeing that mountain gorillas were -- until then -- not known to drink water.

But Kinani's interest in mountain gorillas is not just because they are flashy, crowd-pleasers. According to him, "mountain gorillas are not only the pride of Rwanda but these wonderful creatures are also critical to our ecosystem."
Even then, "I also treat chimpanzees, lions, elephants and several other wild animals," he says, before quickly admitting that he is more interested in the more endangered great apes that reside in East and Central Africa: gorillas and chimpanzees.

In 2015, after 11 years saving mountain gorillas through daily veterinary care, Kinani left the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and started his own conservation organisation, which he christened One Health Approach for Conservation (OHAC).

Now Kinani spends most of his time travelling to various countries in East and Central Africa advising others on setting up programmes similar to the ones he devised in the Virunga massif. Kinani also visits various universities in the Great Lakes Region to train the next generation of conservation scientists.

"My main focus is on One Health For better management of most diseases, vets and medics need to work together," he says.

For the uninitiated, the idea of "One Health" recognises that the health of humans, animals and ecosystems are interconnected. It involves applying a coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to address potential or existing risks that originate at the animal-human-ecosystems interface.

Dr Kinani's organisation focuses on research, training, consultancy and creating One Health and Conservation awareness. His main goal is to link conservation, health, development and poverty alleviation.

When Silverbacks Kill Babies

Conflict between gorilla troops is rare, unlike chimpanzees and other monkeys, because they are not territorial. If two groups happen to meet there is a lot of chest-thumping, charging and other dramatic displays of dominance but rarely any physical contact. Avoidance is the main strategy.

During such a meeting females may try to defect to a new group, which may be prevented by the silverback leader. Defectors can be harassed by related senior females from the group they joined. The silverback leader may intervene by calming the situation down; he usually does not take sides. His interest is to limit the damage as disruption of social harmony may cause females to migrate.

Sex and dominance are only loosely linked, though competition among silverbacks can centre around females, initiated by the male who doesn’t have any. Attitudes of established leaders towards their mates vary from protective dominance when younger and complete tolerance when older.

Genetic studies have shown that the leader does not sire all the troop’s children (85%); the second-in-command, if there is one, is responsible for the balance. However once they have established a position they brook no opposition. If challenged by a younger or even by an outsider male, a silverback will scream, beat his chest, break branches, bare his teeth, and then charge forward.

If the leader is killed by disease, accident, fighting or poachers and there is no other silverback, the group will split up, as they disperse to look for a new protective male. There is a strong risk that the new male leader, if it is a new silverback, will kill the infants of the deceased. Uncertainty is created when a female has mated with more than one male, which preserves her children.

TANZANIA: Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park

An excited whoop erupts from deep in the forest, boosted immediately by a dozen other voices, rising in volume and tempo and pitch to a frenzied shrieking crescendo. It is the famous ‘pant-hoot’ call: a bonding ritual that allows the participants to identify each other through their individual vocal stylisations. To the human listener, walking through the ancient forests of Gombe Stream, this spine-chilling outburst is also an indicator of imminent visual contact with man’s closest genetic relative: the chimpanzee.

Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks: a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika. Its chimpanzees – habituated to human visitors – were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioural research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world. The matriarch Fifi, the last surviving member of the original community, only three-years old when Goodall first set foot in Gombe, is still regularly seen by visitors.

Chimpanzees share about 98% of their genes with humans, and no scientific expertise is required to distinguish between the individual repertoires of pants, hoots and screams that define the celebrities, the power brokers, and the supporting characters. Perhaps you will see a flicker of understanding when you look into a chimp's eyes, assessing you in return - a look of apparent recognition across the narrowest of species barriers.

The most visible of Gombe’s other mammals are also primates. A troop of beachcomber olive baboons, under study since the 1960s, is exceptionally habituated, while red-tailed and red colobus monkeys - the latter regularly hunted by chimps – stick to the forest canopy.

The park’s 200-odd bird species range from the iconic fish eagle to the jewel-like Peter’s twinspots that hop tamely around the visitors’ centre.

After dusk, a dazzling night sky is complemented by the lanterns of hundreds of small wooden boats, bobbing on the lake like a sprawling city.

About Gombe Stream National Park
Size: 52 sq km (20 sq miles), Tanzania's smallest park.
Location: 16 km (10 miles) north of Kigoma on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania.

Getting there
Kigoma is connected to Dar and Arusha by scheduled flights, to Dar and Mwanza by a slow rail service, to Mwanza, Dar and Mbeya by rough dirt roads, and to Mpulungu in Zambia by a weekly ferry.
From Kigoma, local lake-taxis take up to three hours to reach Gombe, or motorboats can be chartered, taking less than one hour.

What to do
Chimpanzee trekking; hiking, swimming and snorkelling;
visit the site of Henry Stanley's famous “Dr Livingstone I presume” at Ujiji near Kigoma, and watch the renowned dhow builders at work. .

When to go
The chimps don't roam as far in the wet season (February-June, November-mid December) so may be easier to find;
better picture opportunities in the dry (July-October and late December).

Accommodation
1 new luxury tented lodge, as well a self-catering hostel, guest house and campsites on the lakeshore.

NOTE
Strict rules are in place to safeguard you and the chimps. Allow at least 2 days to see them - this is not a zoo so there are no guarantees where they'll be each day.

DR CONGO: Virunga Threatened By Oil Exploration

One of Africa’s richest natural treasures is at risk from the exploration plans of an oil conglomerate.

Found along the equator on the western edge of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Virunga National Park is one of the world’s most extraordinary natural places. It is Africa’s oldest national park, a World Heritage Site and a Ramsar wetland of international importance.

Although Virunga National Park’s pristine wilderness has been granted protections under Congolese and international law, companies from Europe and elsewhere are pursing plans for oil extraction in and around the park.

Oil exploration in Virunga is illegal
According to the laws of Democratic Republic of the Congo, activities harmful to the environment are prohibited in all protected areas, including national parks.
Major oil exploitation could involve disruptive seismic tests, forest clearing, deep underground drilling, or the laying of vulnerable oil pipelines. The additional human presence required for these activities could also be damaging to the park’s ecosystems.

As a signatory to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Democratic Republic of the Congo has agreed to respect the treaty’s requirements for the protection World Heritage Sites.

Oil and mineral extraction have been found by UNESCO to be incompatible with the spirit of the convention. Alarmed by the allocation of oil concessions within Virunga National Park, UNESCO’s Director General has called for the Congolese government to “abandon all plans for oil extraction.” Similarly, the World Heritage Committee has urged that all oil permits be canceled.

Sustainable livelihoods at risk
Many residents living around Virunga National Park depend on its health for their livelihoods.
About 30,000 people benefit economically from fishing within the park, and another 20,000 benefit from commercial activities related to the fishing industry.

Additionally, revenue generated by mountain gorilla ecotourism programmes has provided funding for conservation work and for community development projects in the area. In one nearby village, citizens conducted a public rally to voice their concerns over the proposed oil exploration.

It is feared that the area could suffer from socio-economic tensions, crime and insecurity if development were to proceed, as witnessed in the Niger Delta.

Rich in plant and animal biodiversity
UNESCO recognizes Virunga National Park as having the most diverse habitats of any park in Africa, from forests and savannas, to swamps and volcanic peaks.
The park is also unique in containing more individual species than nearly any other place in the world. Because of its extraordinary landscapes and high level of biodiversity, Virunga National Park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1979.

The areas of Virunga National Park allocated as oil concessions cover around 85 per cent of its land, and the habitats of endangered chimpanzees, hippos, and forest elephants.

Oil development could also put at risk hundreds of lesser-known fragile species such as the okapi, which is found in no other country in the world. Over 200 species of mammals live in Virunga National Park, including 22 types of primates. The park is also home to over 700 kinds of birds.

A refuge for gorillas
The most famous residents of Virunga National Park are critically endangered mountain gorillas, of which only 880 individuals remain in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
While the habitat of Virunga National Park’s 200 mountain gorillas does not currently fall within an oil concession, development in the park could negatively affect their security.

Allowing illegal activities, such as oil operations, to be conducted in the park fundamentally undermines the authority of park managers, and will make it difficult for them to guard against intrusion by others seeking to exploit its land, trees and animals.

Assessing environmental impacts
The Congolese government has ordered that all oil activities within the park be suspended until a strategic environmental assessment has been completed.
WWF is asking Soco International PLC to abandon its plans for oil exploration and exploitation within Virunga National Park in accordance with the country’s laws. The organization welcomes Total SA's pledge to respect park boundaries, but remains concerned about operations directly outside park borders.

Furthermore, WWF echos the World Heritage Committee's that all authorizations for companies to undertake exploration activities within park boundaries be revoked.