We imagine mountain gorillas as gentle, almost human creatures munching on leaves in misty, impenetrable forests. Alongside them sit wildlife conservation heroes like Dianne Fossey or David Attenborough, posing for the cameras. In fact, the work of George Schaller and Dianne Fossey in the 1960’s eventually led to the formation of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) who has worked tirelessly for more than a decade to save these charismatic relatives of ours. Their job, however, has been far from the relatively straightforward conservation problems faced by many American species, because gorillas live in one of the most unstable, war-torn regions of the world--an area of perpetual civil strife with an endless refugee crisis that peaked during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. 
Despite their politically precarious location, mountain gorillas have continued to draw tourists to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda. These countries earn about US$5 million every year from eco-tourism revenues and the local communities that benefit directly from living alongside gorillas are most concerned with their conservation. The IGCP has focused its efforts around the two remaining gorilla populations at the Virungas Conservation Area on the border of Rwanda, DRC and Uganda and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in south-western Uganda. Both areas have been an internationally recognized as a conservation success story, pointing to the potential role that ecotourism can play in saving a species. Their combined populations have grown from 624 in 1989 to about 720 individuals today.
Sadly, I just received an emergency appeal from a friend of mine who was working in the field with the IGCP at the time of the 1994 genocide. This week, four mountain gorillas belonging to the Rudendo group have been shot in the Virunga National Park in the DRC. The gorillas were habituated to people and well-known to tourists and park guards who knew the females as ‘Safari’, ‘Neeza’, and ‘Mburanumwe’. The male silverback was known as ‘Rugendo’ and he was the alpha male who fulfilled a leadership role within a group. In the absence of an alpha male, the integrity of a group is often compromised. Prior to the killings, the Rugendo group comprised 12 individuals. Six are confirmed as safe, but two gorillas, a female and an infant, are still missing.
While the immediate reason behind these killings is unclear, a statement from the Chief Executive of Fauna & Flora International Mark Rose suggests that these may have been revenge killings in an inter-personal feud: "We are deeply concerned about this incident which follows more than 20 years of successful collaboration for mountain gorilla conservation. Whatever the motive underlying this tragedy, the gorillas are helpless pawns in a feud between individuals." The animals were not poached for meat, and seem to be a malicious criminal act taken out on an endangered species where every surviving family group is critical for the future of the species. Habituated groups such as the Rudendo group are even more significant from a conservation perspective, as the disproportionately help to generate tourism revenue for local communities, and therefore encourage local people to value their wildlife.
While investigations continue to figure out who killed these animals and why, IGCP Director Eugene Rutagarama is preparing an emergency response to immediately increase the levels of protection for the remaining gorillas in the affected area. He is appealing for emergency funding to support anti-poaching training, more equipment and field support, construction of anti-poaching outposts, and increased awareness and support for gorilla conservation from local leaders, farmers, and members of the military. For more information about the IGCP visit http://igcp.org
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