Lend a hand…Conservation efforts, Virunga National Park

I would really like to mention this one site that I read regularly.

Wildlife Direct.

Wildlife direct is a non-profit conservation organization based in Kenya. It hosts many blogs, all of them related to conservation of endangered wildlife species.
I read gorilla welfare on a regular basis. The dedication and love for what Diddy, Innocent and their team of rangers do is apparent in every post. The blog gives you a good understanding of the conservation efforts carried out in Virunga National Park (VNP).

VHP lies in the Northeastern democratic republic of Congo. Covering 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 sq mi) it was established in 1925 as Africa’s first national park. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. Today, its more famous for its mountain gorillas. Although the numbers have depleted, there is hope because of the conservation efforts being carried out.

The rebels captured the park some time back in 2007 which has drastically reduced the efforts carried out by the park rangers. Many rangers were killed by the rebels. Today, the rebels use the forest to get money from the tourists which in turn is used for their own war funding. They are also involved in charcoal trade to earn money. The rangers have seized a lot of charcoal which is some good news.

Their site is also used to help people donate money for the conservation efforts. You can donate a certain amount monthly or at ‘one time’. The site also mentions where the money goes. It is used to arrange patrols for the rangers, recently some of it was used to transport the seized charcoal to the refugees. So I guess it is in safe hands.

I would be entirely grateful if the handful of readers who read my blog, check this site out(share it with people you might think will be interested) and also donate if possible. It’s all for a good cause. You will be blessed by the rarest of the mountain Gorilla species.

P.S: The facts and all are taken from various sites including Wikipedia. Do correct me if I have got them wrong. The donate link is on the right hand side of the Gorilla Welfare Blog.