Gorillas to be guarded from orbit


an eleven-year-old mountain gorilla
 
Lulenga, an eleven-year-old mountain gorilla, chews part of the roughly 30 pounds of foliage he eats daily Tuesday, Sept. 23, 1997, in Congo's Virunga National Park in far eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Lulenga has led his group since his father Rugabo was killed by poachers in 1995. There are about 610 mountain gorillas left in the world, most of whom thrive in this relatively small volcanic forest habitat preserved by the park, which overlaps into the neighboring countries Rwanda and Uganda.

Virunga volcanoes
 
In this transfrontier region of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the volcanic highlands of the Virungas shelter the last 600 plus mountain gorillas in the world. Photo: Courtesy of International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) a coalition of AWF,WWF,and FFI.



Release date: 22 June 2004