Guerillas Slaughtering Gorillas
No, really. There are roughly 700 mountain gorillas left in the world, and nearly half of them live on the volcanic slopes of Virunga National Park in the Congo, which was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. Yet this site has been recognized as being severely endangered since 1994. Famously, Dian Fossey, the acclaimed animal behaviourist, studied these gorillas, and an American film, Gorillas in the Mist, brought her work in protecting these animals to the public eye. Her 1985 murder was never solved, but thought to be the work of poachers.But the gorilla preserve in Virunga has been infiltrated by rebel and guerrilla bands who consider the refuge their personal property, their hide-out. They have hunted the endangered animals for years, for meat. Additionally, after Congo's 1998-2003 civil war refugees camped in areas near the park additional threatening the gorillas' refuge. The refugees stripped the hillsides for firewood, and also hunted the gorillas for food.
It is, however, the Mayi-Mayi warriors who practise black magic and cannibalism who are now threatening the hitherto-protected gorillas. They've waged their own war on government rangers and wardens, and ransacked tourism camps in Africa's oldest park. These guerrillas warn wildlife officers that if they face retaliation for their escapades they will kill all the gorillas in the area.
This is a primitive social order, this warlike tribe. During the civil war, the fighters sang and danced into battle, dressed in vine garlands, believing themselves to be invisible. They also used shower hoses, and drain plugs of faucets to embellish themselves with, convinced these 'amulets' would deflect enemy bullets, turning them into water. They've been known to eat the hearts of their enemies.
They're a daunting lot. And they present a very real threat. A year ago these warriors machine-gunned hundreds of hippopotami along the shores of Congo's Lake Edward. Congolese army units are trying to track them down. A peculiar type of menace to be sure.
That's Africa for you. Never a dull moment.
Labels: Human Fallibility, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Friday, May 25, 2007
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