The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has endured decades of conflict and broken peace deals. This year, war erupted again, leaving millions displaced and thousands dead.
Amid the chaos, critically endangered gorillas face a terrifying fight for survival, because they are at risk of being POACHED for their meat.
In the chaos of war, endangered and critically endangered gorillas are in serious danger.
Rangers recover the bodies of poached gorillas in the DRC. Credit: rwandagorilla.com
War has led to a surge in poaching. Driven by desperation, starving people are hunting wildlife, and this puts the region’s iconic gorillas – all of which are listed as endangered or critically endangered – at grave risk.
This conflict could wipe out the last of the DRC’s gorillas. We must help right away.
We are working with The Gorilla Organization (TGO), which protects gorillas and their habitats in the Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Recently, gorilla rangers have battled increasingly hostile conditions, making their already dangerous work even more perilous. To protect these precious animals, they’ve been forced to dodge armed militia and navigate a terrifying, war-torn landscape – yet the rangers have continued their vital work despite the lethal dangers all around them.
Dozens of wildlife species, including critically endangered gorillas, are poached for their meat and body parts. Credit: Pan African Sanctuary Aliance
The gorilla rangers desperately need satellite communication devices if they have any hope of protecting the last of the DRC’s gorillas.
In a crisis like this, reliable communication is critical to saving animal lives. It allows teams to alert one another to situations that could put gorillas at risk, and to coordinate their conservation efforts effectively, intercepting hunters and poachers, and protecting wild animals.
But much of the country’s infrastructure, telephone networks and public services are disrupted, and communication is one of the biggest challenges for the team, leaving many helpless gorillas at grave risk of being killed.
If the brave, dedicated rangers have any hope of protecting these vulnerable animals, we MUST equip the team with satellite phones right away. If we can raise $4,800 (£3,600), this is exactly what we will do.
These devices are designed to provide reliable communication even in the most extreme and remote environments, and offer voice and text messaging, GPS location tracking and an SOS alert button, all with near-global coverage. There has never been a more important time to have a reliable communication network than right now.
Some species of gorilla have declined 80% since the 1990s, placing them on the critically endangered list and on the fast-track to extinction.
The chaos has enabled poachers in the country to intensify their illegal activities, while driving people to kill gorillas for food. Unless we act, the conflict could easily undo more than 30 years of conservation work.
Without help, gorillas will be pushed closer and closer to the brink of extinction – until it’s too late to save them.
Please donate right away and help us do all we can to help protect this fragile species.
