Congolese Government Suspends Oil Exploration to Secure Mountain Gorilla Park

Today in Kinshasa, the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism, Mr José E.B. Endundo, announced the issue of an open letter to the worldwide conservation community clarifying the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s position on the published intentions of a British oil company, SOCO International, to undertake oil exploration activities in Virunga National Park, a designated World Heritage Site.

In so doing, he has initiated a comprehensive, transparent and inclusive Strategic Environmental Assessment, SEA, to analyse the best options available to the Congolese People. The SEA will provide the necessary recommendations, frequently required by the ministry, to decide which of the social and economic benefits will ensure true development for the region and its people. The SEA will be conducted with support from a number of donors of public aid.

In his letter Mr Endundo states that his Ministry has taken “ …specific steps, which have led to the suspension of the given oil exploration activities. We have rejected the recommendations of an environmental impact assessment conducted by the oil company, Soco, which we consider premature, superficial and which does not conform to the standards which we would expect”.

The Minister has also confirmed that the senior management for Soco Oil had assured him that they " …will not attempt any prospection work in the park unless a positive consensus is achieved in their favour."

The letter published yesterday reflects two of the Minister for the Environment's main concerns, the rule of law and abiding by international commitments.

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Rwanda Returns Gorillas To The Congo

After a delay of more than six years two Mountain Gorillas were returned home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The two animals have been held in Rwanda since they were confiscated by poachers.

In the first return of its kind, 9 year old female 'Maisha' and 6 year old male 'Kaboko' will start their journey home and eventually back to their original habitat.

In Rwanda they have been given specialised and constant care. The re-introduction to other Gorillas will take place under the guidance of vets and experts from Apenheul Zoo.

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Gorilla Doctors Blog

Every year is the “Year of the Gorilla” for us

Blog by: Dr. Mike Cranfield, Executive Director, MGVP, Inc. and Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, Co-Directors, Mountain Gorilla One Health Program

The United Nations designated 2009 as the Year of the Gorilla. With the world’s attention drawn to these magnificent animals, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) was looked to more than ever for providing expertise on health issues affecting gorilla conservation.




The year 2009 was also unique in that we all experienced the worldwide epidemic of an infectious disease: H1N1, better known as the swine flu. This pandemic reinforced the concept that diseases emerge and can spread very quickly around the world by modern human activities. This was important for our organization, because the largest threat to the survival of the mountain gorilla, with only 700 animals left in the wild, is disease, especially diseases they can contract from people. For this reason, the “one health” approach to mountain gorilla conservation that the MGVP has always taken has never been more important. And so this year, the MGVP transformed itself into a new and even more powerful organization, the Mountain Gorilla One Health Program, by partnering with the Wildlife Health Center, at the University of California Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. This partnership provides incredible depth, expertise and capacity to the mountain gorilla health program we started in 1986. The Mountain Gorilla One Health Program takes into consideration the fact that the health of the gorillas is intimately linked to the health of other wildlife in the park, and of the people and their livestock surrounding the Park.



With tremendous pride and gratification, the MGVP just moved two orphan mountain gorillas, Ndeze and Ndakasi, to a new facility, thanks to the herculean efforts of Ms.Raemonde Bezenar and the Canadian friends of MGVP, who sponsored the construction of this new Senkwekwe Centre in Rumangabo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The orphans had been living in sub-optimal conditions in Goma, whereas Senkwekwe is a beautiful forest sanctuary. In collaboration with Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the MGVP continues to care for eight additional gorilla orphans in our facility at Kinigi in Rwanda, as

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