A wildlife ranger has paid the ultimate price in the effort to protect endangered Mountain Gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo. Ranger Safari Kakule was killed by rebel forces during an attack on the evening of January 8 in Congo’s Virunga National Park. Safari and six other rangers were attacked while on patrol. More than 120 rangers have been killed […]
YoG Coordinator Veronika Lenarz (UNEP/CMS) gave an interview in French to Radio Canada. The interview gives an outline of the campaign’s rationale and goals. To listen to the interview, follow the link below, then go to January 1st in the right-hand box and start at Minute 35 of the audio file.
The United Nations have declared 2009 the Year of the Gorilla – and there is a call for actions from everyone to participate in global efforts to save gorillas. Some journalists are questioning the morality of saving gorillas while people continue to suffer in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. When in Rwanda I attended the Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming ceremony – […]
When rebels loyal to renegade DRC general, Laurent Nkunda, invaded and occupied the Virunga National Park in 2007, most rangers fled. Some 30 rangers however remained behind and continued their work under the new ‘administration’. Late last year, the rebels advanced pushing their front further towards Goma. Rumangabo, the Virunga Park headquarters fell to the rangers after a fierce battle […]
Ben Affleck and Mick Jagger teamed up on Wednesday to launch a short film called “Gimme Shelter” drawing attention to the plight of Congolese families driven from their homes by a decade of war. The film focuses on the plight of families forced to flee the fighting, among an estimated 1.3 million displaced people in Congo, according to the U.N. […]
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. […]
Spend two weeks playing with crocodiles on the Zambezi River. Spend the morning setting crocodile traps and spend the afternoon measuring and tagging and counting crocodiles. This is a beautiful area and the schedule allows plenty of time for birdwatching and fly-fishing. 14 days for $2849. at http://www.earthwatch.org
BAOBAB was founded to promote an ALTERNATIVE form of TRAVEL (ecotourism) that benefits local communities economically and is sensitive to the natural environment. BAOBAB offers small group trips with set itineraries or tailor-made eco trips. Trips are generally 8 days and locations offered are Egypt/Sinai, Jordan, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. More info at http://www.baobabtravel.com
Work in Skaftafell National Park in southeast Iceland constructing and maintaining footpaths in the National Park. These paths help to protect the area’s fragile ecology from the impact of tourism. The work is strenuous, so this trip is great for the physically fit types. Accommodations – you will be sleeping in your own tent but hot showers and a base […]
The International World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms Association (WWOOF) provides the venue for people around the world to learn first-hand about organic growing methods; enables both the organic farmers and volunteers to make organic farming a viable alternative; and, improves communications concerning the importance of organic farming in the world today. Since its inception in 1971 London, WWOOF has […]