6 more rangers have been killed in the Virunga national park on the border between the DRC Uganda and Rwanda. Likely, currently one of the most dangerous places to try to protect wildlife – many rangers have been killed over the years. Lying where 3 countries meet; Democratic republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, there has been regular flare ups, of fighting. Also militia groups have regularly taken refuge in this huge wilderness, hunting all wildlife for food.
Currently this is one of only 2 ecosystems which still host mountain gorillas. While they have done surprisingly well over the last couple of decades, there are still only around 1000 of these great apes left in the wild (and none in captivity). If the area can be made stable, it is also capable of bringing in a huge amount of money for the host countries and to improve the standard of living – which in turn makes its continued survival not only possible, but something that will allow the human population to thrive alongside it.
