INCREASED POACHING IN VIRUNGA WORRIES STATES

The increase in poaching in the Virunga area has increased fears among countries that share the environment that is a home to the rare mountain gorillas.

Early February, the park rangers in the Virunga Massif have found a body of a mountain gorilla and that of an elephant that had been killed by poachers. Maxime Nzita Nganga, the Deputy Secretary in charge of community relations in the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC), said poaching has increased in the area mostly in remote parts of the huge park spreading over DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda where people can’t see.

Poaching cannot be overlooked and GVTC is taking authorized responsibility to strengthen trans-boundary anti poaching mechanisms in the region.

Rica Rwigamba, the Director of Tourism at Rwanda Development Board (RDB), said the murder of the elephant and the gorilla has been a terrible situation and danger to conservation so the issue of poaching has to be dealt with immediately.

She said a meeting will be carried out to find out the best and immediate ways to stop poaching that has increased mostly on the Congolese side of the border because poachers follow the guide of the movement of animals.

Rwigamba said Rwanda and DR Congo will introduce joint patrols to control the illegal act. The greater Virunga Landscape includes Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in DR Congo, Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area, Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area and Kibale Conservation Area in Uganda.

More than 300 traps have found and destroyed in the last months are for antelopes, while the bigger ones for buffaloes and elephants.

Hippopotamus and elephants have been killed for bush meat and ivory respectively.

All in all, there is need for consolidated efforts to protect the rare mountain gorillas in virunga forest for future generations and for gorilla safaris.