Baraza

Category: Climate change | Date: Oct 15 2009 | By: paula

Dear all, I invited readers and friends to contribute their thoughts on Climate change in the run up to Copenhagen from 6th - 8th December - only 52 days away. It may not surprise many of you that our first guest blogger is Sheryl who writes  her own fantastic blog Not Honey: Please don’t tap on the glass.

Climate change decision must include commitment to slow and stop population growth

No one likes to talk about human overpopulation as the number one
crisis facing our planet. Most environmentalists and wildlife
protectors don’t like to talk about it. There’s the idea that having
as many kids as you want is a God-given right and mentioning that
“right” as a cause for climate change and planetary destruction irks
many people.

That silence is deadly. Here the world waits for the U.S. to take the
lead on climate change and the best we can do is a useless
cap-and-trade bill that has no chance of actually limiting greenhouse
gas emissions. There are too many loopholes, including the
“offsets” that industry insists they must have, and no clear plan for just how
many credits for emissions the big polluters can buy. Not included at
all in this bill are greenhouse gases from farms, which emit
35-40 percent of all methane emissions, “(which have 23 times the
global warming potential of carbon dioxide), 65 percent of nitrous
oxide (which is 320 times as warming as carbon dioxide) and 64 percent
of ammonia, which contributes to acid rain” according to the 2006 UN
report “Livestock’s Long Shadow.”

Food production for an exploding human population is a major source of
global warming pollution. There is talk now among wildlife protectors
about designating more wildlife parks and reserves for agriculture and
animal farming. Dr. Richard Leakey, noted anthropologist, wildlife
protector, and head of WildlifeDirect, in an interview for
“Kenya Imagine” said the following:

“Population growth is, as far as I am concerned, is
probably the single most worrying factor for the planet. We can look
at a farm, we can look at a national park – we can say the carrying
capacity of that area is “x.” If we look at the planet, the carrying
capacity for our planet has been exceeded. This planet has too many
people on it. How we address this I don’t know. But I am certain if we
don’t address it, many of the good efforts being made to cut carbon
dioxide emissions and to find alternative sources of energy won’t have
the desired effect. It has got to be linked and conceptualised in a
way that stabilises the human population and ultimately brings the
numbers down.”

Iregi Mwenja, a researcher on WildlifeDirect, has posted more than once about
the threat to wildlife from a growing human population. Recently, he
posted:

“With the population of the world at 9 billion in
2050, we may have 370 million people facing famine
worldwide. FAO says more land is needed to increase food production by
70 percent in 2050. In a country like Kenya where land is scarce now
and famine is the order of the day, the situation will be grave
serious in 40 years time when human population will have grown to over
60 million people. We may be forced to sacrifice some land in our
protected areas to feed this overblown human population! If you don’t
want to contribute to this catastrophe, let us limit the number of
kids per couple to 2. Please read the BBC NEWS
article below for more details on the FAO report.”

Read that again: Food production must increase 70 percent over
the next 40 years to feed the growing human population. What
does that mean?

More factory farms and far more greenhouse gas emissions promoting
global climate change than can be regulated or capped-and-traded. The
BBC story states that “Climate change, involving floods and droughts,
will affect food production.” Climate change is already having a
devastating affect on food production and vice versa.
Thousands of farmers in India have committed suicide because of crop failures
due to drought. Deforestation in the Amazon to make room for
cattle farms and soybean farms to FEED THE CATTLE has caused the loss
of more than 150,000 square kilometers of rainforest in Brazil between 2000-2008.
Loss of forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo is putting
gorillas at risk of extinction, which will put humans at risk of
extinction, too.

How’s that? How can the loss of a fellow Great Ape species have
anything to do with human survival? Turns
out that gorilla dung is a major component in forest growth. We
need rainforests to turn carbon dioxide into clean air and to deter
the greenhouse effect. Gorillas, according to Ian Redmond, the UN
ambassador for the Year of the Gorilla, “are herbivores, feeding on
fruit and plants. The digested food, as it passes through their
systems, helps seeds to germinate. … The full extent of the
gorillas’ role in propagation is unclear. But Redmond said a number of
plant species could not flourish without them, or wild elephants, the
other large mammal crucial in germination.” The gorillas “caught up in
the region’s civil wars, preyed on by poachers, and crowded out of
their homes by mining and logging industries - are already endangered
across Africa. …But Redmond’s argument could help give the animals a
new level of protection.” Economists have suggested spending $15
billion on reforestation as a “cheap” way of cutting greenhouse gas
emissions.

“Redmond said gorillas were crucial in maintaining the lifecycle of
the rainforests in the Congo basin. The forests themselves suck up
more than 1bn tonnes of carbon every year.”

“This is what the species are for. They are not ornaments. They are
not just interesting things to study. They are part of an ecosystem,”
he said.”

We are the only species of Great Apes on this planet who seem not to
know their place in an ecosystem. If we continue to allow human
populations to grow and crowd out all the wildlife until they’re all
extinct, and use up all the forests until they’re gone … what will
we have left? A planet full of nothing but humans and a ruined
environment that can no longer support life.

“It is only if you bring numbers down that we will be able to find a
way for resource utilisation per capita to increase. It is the only
way you are going to deal with poverty and unless you deal with
poverty, the situation can only spiral downwards. This is a massive
problem and the solutions are not simply condoms versus draconian
measures such as one child per family. It has to be looked at in
different countries in different ways. I think there has to be a
commitment everywhere to slow and stop population growth. I do believe
that we have been set back a long way by the opposition to family
planning that is being shown by some of the religious groups and by
some of the more conservative governments such as the current US
administration.” - Richard Leakey, in an interview published during
the Bush Administration

–
NotHoney@gmail.com
http://nothoney.com
“… a vegan driving a Hummer contributes less to greenhouse gas
emissions than a meat-eater riding a bicycle.”–Capt. Watson

Thank you Sheryl!

Please leave Sheryl a comment here and if you would like to contribute your thoughts on a blog just write to me paula@wildlifedirect.org.

Tags: Blog Action Day, cattle, Climate change, Gorillas, Ian Redmond, not honey, richard leakey, vegan, wildlife, wildlifedirect

4 responses so far

Category: Africa, Appeals, National Parks and protected areas, conservation | Date: Oct 09 2009 | By: paula

If you haven’t made a donation yet on WildlifeDirect, consider this

There are days when can not sleep because of fears that WildlifeDirect  cannot survive this disastrous economic crisis. Fund raising has not been easy nor fun lately - and it’s affecting or ability to do effective conservation of endangered species.

Because everyone is affected by the economic crisis, many of our donors are telling us that they can’t contribute anymore, and the average donation of those generous donors who have continued to support us have declined by about 50% from an average donation of $100 to $47.

Despite the drop in funding, our bloggers remain convinced. We now have over 80 conservation blogs from the frontlines in Africa, Asia and South America. Half of these bloggers get funds every month and every month more people inquire and ask to join our network. It is so rewarding to know that good conservationists believe in us. This is what keeps us going at WildlifeDirect.

Here are some reasons why you should support projects on WildlifeDirect

1. It’s direct - you can choose the blog, item and place you want your funds to go to
2. It’s accountable – you can see your money working by reading the blogs
3. It’s easy  - we use paypal and you will get a tax receipt
4. It’s quick – you can respond to any wildlife conservation emergency and make ….But what I like most about this is that
5. It’s cost effective – a little money goes a long way in Africa where $100 can pay for a rangers salary for a month! Our bloggers only ask for essential things –rations, petrol for patrols , critical equipment, food for animals and basic field costs. They are working on shoe string budgets – many of them volunteer.

Watch our video and Join us

WildlifeDirect has had a far greater impact on bloggers than we ever imagined. Next I will be interviewing Anthony Kasanga (lionguardians) about how his life changed after he started blogging on WildlifeDirect.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO HAS STAYED WITH OR RECENTLY JOINED WILDLIFEDIRECT.   YOU ARE ALL AMAZING PEOPLE:)

Tags: Africa, conservation, endangered species, Gorillas, Lions, Paula Kahumbu, richard leakey, wildlife, wildlifedirect

One response so far

Category: Gorillas | Date: Apr 03 2009 | By: admin

When Jana Jirátová and her boss Miroslav Bobek visited us from Czech Radio last month we had never heard of ‘The Revealed’ - a Big Brother parody played out by Gorillas in the Prague Zoo. The competitors were members of a lowland gorilla family; Richard, Moja, Shinda, Kamba and others.

The show was odd in so many ways, a TV program done by a radio company, the public were voting on Gorillas- and learning about themselves in the process. The interesting part to us was the link with Gorilla conservation. After 72 episodes, the Czech public did not allow the show to end even though the siverback Richard, had ‘won’ the popularity contest.

The show used 17 cameras hidden in the Gorilla house of the zoo, and captured the ins and outs of gorilla politics, births, deaths and  captivated the imagination of the public, and the show won the prestigious BBC Wildlife “Wildscreen Award”. Public interaction and bringing it to Africa, has made this show even more exceptional.

Of course we leaped at the offer to partner with Czech Radio and bring The Revealed to WildlifeDirect because the project now benefits one of our bloggign partners, the Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary where  live coverage is about to debut. We love the ingenuity behind this idea, and we think you will fall in love with the characters and the project too. Here is a note from the team who have just landed in Cameroon

“In a couple of days, we are setting off for Central Africa. As of April 1, we will start posting reports on WildlifeDirect from our journey to the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon, our visits to local schools where children received our books, negotiations about our future cooperation and, most importantly, from our expedition to tropical rain forests. We have received a unique chance to travel to the forest in the southern part of the Central African Republic and track a troop of lowland gorillas, the only of its kind in the world. We shall see how our plans materialise - but we will do our best…”

So please don’t miss it, log on at 12 noon GMT to watch the life and times of Gorillas in The Revealed live from Limbe.

All donations will support lowland gorilla conservation activities in Africa starting with Limbe

Enjoy! Paula

Tags: Czech Radio, Gorillas, lowland gorilla, Moja, Odhaleni, Richard, The Revealed, wildlifedirect

No responses yet

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Dec 10 2008 | By: baraza

Dear Friends,

Don’t forget that you can donate a WildlifeDirect gift certificate to give to your  friends, family members or loved ones here. Once you have made a donation on the right hand donations bar, please email victor on victor@wildlifedirect.org and he will send you the gift certificate.

Thank you for your unrelenting support. From all of us at WildlifeDirect.

Help us by sharing this on facebook, myspace, bebo and wherever else you socialise online!

Tags: elephants, Gorillas, Masai Mara, National Geographic, Video, wildlifedirect

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Category: Emergency appeals, Uncategorized | Date: Nov 03 2008 | By: baraza

The tension in the air can be felt in Goma from far away Nairobi. We are in touch with our colleagues on the ground I’ve just heard that the convoy trying to reach Rutshuru (50 miles north of Goma through the CNDP front line) has come across scenes of intense fighting in the recent days with the road strewen with empty shells and casing.

They describe seeing the bodies of Congolese military still lie in road side ditches.  An ugly scene but at least food is moving towards those most in need which will be a huge relief. I’m dreading what they will find when they get there though. All the news agencies are talking about is the humanitarian crisis and are filled with harrowing stories.

The missing rangers are still at large which is very worrying. Where could they be? We hope that they are safe.  At least NGO’s are feeling safer and many have been able to return to Goma.

A tiny piece of potentially good news if true, was reported in the Uganda Monitor “The rebels for now have been persuaded by Rwandan officials, according to several sources, to abandon their plan to occupy Goma which had been abandoned by government troops”.

Our thought are  with all our friends wherever they are in Eastern Congo. We’ll keep you posted as news comes in from the convoy - which is not easy - cell phone networks are on and off.

If you have any messages for the team on the ground please leave them here in comments and we will post the best of the messages here  for them.

Tags: CNDP, crisis in the congo, DR Congo, Gorillas, Rwanda, Virunga National Park, wildlifedirect

2 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 27 2008 | By: baraza

I was really pleased to see Dr Jane Goodall sticking her neck out to remind the world that we need to do more to save great apes. In an article published in the Calgary Herald Thursday, October 23, 2008, she says

“In the couple of months since the historic Spanish parliament resolution granting certain rights to great apes, the ensuing debate has taken a wrong turn. As commentators have become mired in the nuances of what rights are appropriate for apes or any other non-human animal, we have lost sight of the central concern — that we continue to use great apes in invasive research, as well as entertainment and advertising, in ways that are unnecessarily harmful and often downright cruel to these amazing creatures.

Like Spain, other countries have recognized this fact. Australia, Austria, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom have banned or severely restricted invasive research on great apes. While we may not agree on how to get there, there’s a growing consensus around the world that we need to go in this direction.

Over the past century, a wealth of information has been uncovered regarding the behaviour and biology of great apes. We now know with absolute certainty that great apes share many of the same psychological, social, and emotional characteristics as humans.

Taking these findings into account, we can no longer turn a blind eye to their inhumane treatment.

For years great apes have been used in inappropriate and irresponsible ways. Invasive research on great apes continues, despite the suffering it inflicts and the growing abundance of alternative non-animal testing methods. The use of great apes in the entertainment and advertising industry also persists, regardless of the heavy toll it exacts on both captive and wild great apes. What most people do not realize is that performing apes must be taken from their mothers as infants. The premature separation of an infant from its mother can often lead to long-term social and psychological damage. Additionally, entertainment apes have a very short shelf life in the industry. They only remain manageable until they mature, around the age of eight, yet captive great apes can live from 50 to 60 years. Once performing apes are no longer manageable on the entertainment set, they often end up in inappropriate and inhumane living conditions — a roadside zoo, a biomedical research lab, or a breeder compound where the cycle is repeated.

Researchers have found that people who are accustomed to seeing chimpanzees mimicking humans in television programs, advertising and film may be misled into believing that chimpanzees are not endangered.

The misconception that chimpanzees are not endangered negates efforts to raise public awareness and commitments toward their conservation, a consequence that we cannot afford at such a critical juncture. For chimpanzees and all the great apes, once abundant, are now on the verge of extinction. This is due in large measure to the loss of forest habitat from commercial logging, mining and biofuel operations, as well as growing numbers of people in great ape ranges who lack basic needs.

The Spanish parliament’s action serves as a reminder that we must press forward to protect the natural habitats of great apes in Africa and Asia. There is so much to be done.”

UNEP is helping by announcing that 2009 will be the Year of the Gorilla  under the Convention of Migratory species.

At WidlifeDirect we will also draw increasing attention to the conservation needs of our closest relatives - a conservation need that is badly underfunded globally, and where conservationists are working under extraordinarily difficult conditions. We hope you will support our ape projects including the Orangutan Foundation in Indonesia, Lola ya Bonobo bonobo sanctuary in Kinshasa, JACK a chimapanzee rescue center in the DR Congo, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, the Virunga National Park, the Tacugama wildlife sanctuary in Sierra Leone, and Limbe Wildlife Center in Cameroon where rescued gorillas are being cared for.

Tags: bonobos, chimpanzees, Gorillas, Great apes, Jane Goodall

2 responses so far

Category: Emergencies, Gorillas, National Parks and protected areas, WildlifeDirect news, wildlife | Date: Oct 09 2008 | By: baraza

We have been following the alarming developments in Eastern Congo on the Gorilla protection blog and here we bring some of the latest reports on BBC here and from the United Nations official site

There is additional inforamation at the UNITED NATIONS Monuc website here Oct 8, 2008 - The Democratic Republic of Congo’s envoy to the United Nations called Wednesday for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss what he called an “imminent” Rwandan attack on the eastern DRC city of Goma.

Speaking to AFP, Atoki Ileka said DRC authorities had “observed concentrations of Rwandan troops in the Rwandan border town of Gisenyi,” and that this suggested that an attack on Goma, located just across the frontier, was “imminent.”
In an earlier statement, the United States has responded angrily to Nkunda’s recent declarations in this statement from the US Department of State

“The United States condemns and rejects the statements made by General Nkunda, leader of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), claiming the CNDP intends to overthrow the elected and universally recognized Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (GDRC). The U.S. calls on the international community to support the GDRC as it works to consolidate its democracy and capacity to govern justly its entire territory. The U.S. opposes all those who seek to foment instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Goma Agreement and the Nairobi Communiqué remain the only true viable framework to bring stability to eastern Congo. The signatories should respect their commitments and implement them swiftly. All concerned parties should also respect the current cease fire and move quickly to disengage their forces in accordance with the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (MONUC) Global Disengagement Plan. The U.S. applauds MONUC for its efforts to stabilize eastern Congo and calls on all parties to cooperate with those efforts. Conflict between the CNDP and the DRC Armed Forces only detracts attention from resolving the root problem causing instability in the region posed by the ex-Rwandan Armed Forces (ex-FAR), the Interahamwe, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
The U.S. remains committed to supporting the GDRC and the people of the Congo to ensure a strong, democratic state, free from all illegal armed groups. At the October 3rd UN Security Council meeting on DRC, the U.S. condemned statements made by Nkunda and called for the improvement of MONUC capabilities to better carry out its mandate. The U.S. will continue to work with the DRC and the Great Lakes countries both bilaterally and through the Tripartite Plus process to strengthen regional cooperation and build a stable and prosperous region.
The U.S. will work to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in eastern Congo and elsewhere”.

Tags: CNDP, Gorillas, MONUC, Nkunda, rebels, Rwanda, Virunga National Park

3 responses so far

Category: Emergencies | Date: Oct 06 2008 | By: baraza

I could kick myself for canceling a trip to attend the IUCN World Conservation Congress meeting in Barcelona. I attended the previous Congress in Bangkok which was a great meeting of conservation professionals, except in retrospect I realise that there was alot of talk and not much achieved … except species continue to slide towards extinction. In its first of the 10 days of meeting the report has revealed an alarming statistic that a quarter of the world’s mammal species are at risk of extinction.

It seems that every study on biodiversity reveals increasing threats to species - many of my colleagues form university were involved in this study so I believe the statistics.

Mammals are not faring very well

Imagine if one in four mammals actually went extinct! Some of the species at greatest risk include Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) which may number fewer than 150 and continue to decline due to a shortage of its primary prey, the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

The Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) has declined by more than 60 percent in the last 10 years due to a fatal infectious facial cancer, while Southeast Asias  Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) has become endangered due to habitat loss in wetlands.

Mammals in Asia are especially vulnerable because they are hunted for food and traditional medicines. Rapid rates of development and population growth also means that habitats are shrinking and as a result of these combined threats, more than 70 per cent of known species in Asia, are now under threat.

Reptiles and amphibians are doing much worse

Other groups of animals are faring even worse. Thirty-one percent of reptiles, 30 percent of amphibians and 37 percent of fish are deemed threatened. In total, 22 percent of assessed species are nearing extinction, and thousands more animals, especially reptiles and fish, have yet to be evaluated. Birds are not faring as badly as the other groups,  almost one in eight birds are threatened.The main reason for these threats include habitat loss and over exploitation of terrestrial mammals and marine mammals, and pollution, and global warming …it is ironic that human populations meanwhile are on the increase.

African Elephants are recovering in some places

Thankfully it’s not all bad news. Apparently African elephants are less endangered than before as a result of effective conservaiton efforts and the ivory ban in Southern and Eastern Africa. Five percent of mammals are actually doing better than before, these include the black footed ferret which was extinct in the wild but has now been reintroduced. The Chinese Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) though now extinct in the wild may yet recover. The captive population has increased in recent years and it is possible that free-ranging populations could soon be re-established.

The IUCN study and related issues are under discussion by more than 8,000 peope who are attending the World Conservation Congress.  I wish I could feel hopeful, somehow I doubt that they will actually come up with a workable game plan for a sustainable future. However I was pleasantly surprised to read Cindy Ellen Hills article explaining how the Institute for Environmental Security handles the threat of lack of security to species in an article called Waging a Sustainble Peace

“key military leaders at an invitation-only roundtable to spearhead a paradigm shift in thinking about the intersection of environmental issues and local, regional, and national security.

The IUCN Roundtable on Environment and Security will match representatives from the military (USA, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Nepal, Mauretania), NATO, and other members of the world’s security community with key environmental leaders to explore strategies for waging an environmentally sustainable peace.”

I am curious about what the security meeting will conclude but in general I doubt that “Barcelona” will get enough attention to really gain political will for conservation. One major problem is timing, this meeting couldn’t have come at a worse time with global attention focused on the worlds unfolding financial crisis.  It’s a pity, many scientist are convinced that we are witnessing the sixth wave of extinctions, and it’s entirely man made. We could lose nearly a quarter of the worlds species just because we don’t care enough. I was looking at these photos from the wildlife photographer of the year competition and couldn’t help feeling  sad that some species will never be photographed in the wild again.

For more detailed info and official documents go here I can’t find a single blog from the congress… if you find any please send me the link.

Tags: endangered species, extinction, Gorillas, IUCN

One response so far

Category: Gorillas | Date: Oct 06 2008 | By: baraza

Jenny, a 55 year old gorilla has died at Dallas Zoo in early September. She was an old gorilla, and died of a stomach tumor (actually she was euthanized because the tumor was inoperable).  In the wild gorillas don’t live much beyond 30 so Jenny had along life, yet it still feels sad and this story is getting wide coverage. It is the second death of a gorilla at the Dallas Zoo in a month.

Jenny who has her own Wikipedia page is a western lowland gorilla and was born in the wild and was acquired by the zoo in 1957. She gave birth in 1965 to a female named Vicki but never conceived again. Vicki was sent to a Canadian zoo at age 5. There are four other gorillas at Dallas Zoo.

Just last month, another gorilla at the zoo, 43-year-old Hercules, died after undergoing a medical procedure for spinal disease and in 2004, Dallas police shot and killed a 13-year-old gorilla named Jabari at the zoo after it jumped over a wall, bit three people and snatched up a toddler by his teeth. The enclosure was remodeled and the city paid a fine to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Should Gorillas and other apes be in zoos?

There are about 360 gorillas in North American zoos. I love zoos and think that they play an important role in education and awareness, but somehow it seems wrong to keep apes in zoos. We would never imagine keeping a human in a zoo - so why do we keep our closest living relatives in them? It must be like a prison for gorillas, chimps and other intelligent animals. You just have to google gorilla images to see the deplorable conditions that most zoo apes live in, check out their expressions, and see how sad they look. Gorillas are one of the mian attractions at the Dallas Zoo which recieved  670,084 visitors last year alone. The entrance fees would have generated almost $4.7 million.  I wonder how much of this goes back into conservation, to the places where these endangered animals were taken from so many years ago?

Today we also recieved the alarming news that gorillas are the latest victims of the tainted milk scandal in China that has killed four human infants and left more than 50,000 ill. The two gorillas from Hangzhou Wildlife World in the eastern province of Zhejiang, aged one and three, had been fed with milk powder made by Sanlu Group, the company associated with the contamination scandal. Both gorillas are showing the early signs of kidney stones.

Tags: Dallas Zoo, Gorillas, Hangzhou Wildlife World, melamine, western lowland gorillas

4 responses so far

Category: Gorillas | Date: Sep 28 2008 | By: baraza

Several news articles and blogs have noted that the launch of Looking for Miza will help to raise attention  to the crisis facing mountain gorillas in Congo. We are also really pleased that the book will also raise funds. When we started the project to do the book with Craig Hatkoff, we had three important objectives

1. To raise awareness. This book is currently in English and will be translated into a number of languages including native languages in Africa where it will be distributed. The Scholastic Junior corp of journalists from Rwanda will be helping to deliver messages across East and Central Africa and to the rest of the world through the Scholastic website.

2. To help people get involved in Gorilla conservation. We saw how this can work in New York on Friday when children in in the USA and globally were involved in the launch of the book and submitted hundreds of ideas to the website. Scholastic will continue to provide opportunities for involvement through their website.

3. We also aimed to raise funds for Gorilla conservation and already US$ 150,000 has been set aside to support rangers in the Virunga National Park from the Owen and Mzee Foundation. This should help to support many rangers over a one year period.

The situation in eastern Congo seems to be worse than ever and it’s now a year since the rebels have been in control of teh gorilla sector. Miza, and her family are at great risk. According to this article on MSNBC fighting continues near the park as Nkunda tries to extend his area of control. Just last month four people were killed and several injured (18 of them rebels) .  This may be why Emmanuel, Innocent and Diddy were unable to travel to New York to attend the launch of the book “Looking for Miza”.

Given the seriousness of the situation we are interested in your thoughts and ideas on how this children’s book can help to  raise awareness, involvement and funds for gorilla conservation.

Tags: Congo, Gorillas, Looking for Miza, owen and mzee

11 responses so far