Good news from the mountain gorillas of the Virunga National Park

The mountain gorillas population is constantly growing among the magnificent mountains of the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Over the last 30 years the number of these beautiful animals has quadrupled and today there are almost 1,000 specimens in the park.

This success is due to the great work done by the Virunga Foundation, that has fought the causes leading people to approach lucrative poaching, creating jobs, schools and a hydroelectric project that will provide another 1,200 jobs with an investment of over 20 million dollars.

The foundation also raised ranger salaries to unprecedented levels, bringing the monthly salary to $ 200, eight times the average salary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, thus guaranteeing workers’ loyalty, eliminating corruption risks by poachers.

The result is a poaching level of zero, since 2007 only one gorilla was killed in the park.

The states involved in the defense of the gorillas, bordering on the Virunga National Park, that are Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, have found an agreement to work in unison to ensure survival of this kind of primacy, but above all for the development of the tourist business: every year tourists bring hundreds of millions of dollars to these countries.

The way to make these animals no longer at risk of extinction is still long, but the steps taken in the right direction are very important.

For us it is important to know that these amazing animals are safe and free to move in the forests on their mountains!