Mukunda Returns to Virunga After Crop Raiding
On May 12, the Gorilla Doctors were informed by Virunga National Park officials in DR Congo that the lone silverback Mukunda had left the national park and traveled to the village of Rugari. You may recall from last year that Mukunda has a habit of traveling far outside the park, seeking human settlements. In May and July of 2010, the Gorilla Doctors had to twice intervene, darting Mukunda with an anesthetic drug in order to bring him back to his home. This month, Mukunda spent three days going in and out of the park to raid crops from farmers' fields. The doctors arrived on the scene on May 13 to intervene. Read More
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MGVP Rescues 2 Golden Monkeys in 4 Days
Earlier this year, the Gorilla Doctors were called upon to rescue two golden monkeys over the space four days--both adult males who got into trouble after moving into village areas outside of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Golden monkeys, an endangered species known for their golden-colored fur, live in family groups in the park and spend much of their time in the bamboo zones where food is plentiful. However, sometimes adult and sub-adult males strike out on their own, coming well outside the park to raid crops. The monkeys' bad behavior irks hard-working farmers and puts the monkey at risk of injury or death. Read More
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Dr. Eddy's Photo Fun: Virunga's Gorilla Groups
This month Dr. Eddy was able to take some great photos during his routine health checks of the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, and we'd like to share them with you. Dr. Eddy captured some tender moments in Rugendo group between new mom Lubutu, her infant and silverback Bukima. He also witnessed the busy family life of Kabirizi group. In Munyaga group, he saw how bald gorilla Kadogo was having a hard time getting any attention from the ladies.
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Dr. Jan Discovers New Baby in Susa Group
 On a recent routine health check of Susa group in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, Dr. Jan was lucky enough to discover a tiny new baby born to female Izuru. She was also able to photograph Ubuntu's one-month-old infant.
Dr. Jan says: "I visited Susa group and we found them only 30 minutes inside the wall. The group was in an open area, eating celery, resting and playing. I was asked by RDB to try to get photos of female Ubuntu's one-month-old baby. I also found female Izuru resting in a nest on top of some brush, and after watching for some time I discovered she had a tiny new baby! All I could see was the back of the infant's head, but this means the group now numbers 30 individuals!" Visit the Gorilla Doctors' blog to see the photos.
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Donor Story: "The Best Trip of My Life"
This month's donor story features Barbara Larkin, a monthly donor to MGVP. Barbara recalls her first mountain gorilla encounter in 2006: "My first look at them, the realization that I had achieved my goal, that I was actually among them--well, it was truly an emotional, epiphanic moment that transformed me forever. I just stood there and took it all in with tears running down my face the whole time." Barbara calls her experience "the best trip of my life," and she is returning again this September with our partner Terra Incognita Ecotours.
A former librarian and published author from Missouri, Barbara says, "it has been a real honor" to help with mountain gorilla conservation. The honor is on us, Barbara-thank you. We look forward to hearing about your next gorilla adventure!
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MGVP Supports Local Alternative Fuel Business
MGVP has supported local alternative fuel briquette entrepreneurs, Mao and Imaculee Umiwana, as they manufacture briquettes made of recycled paper and sawdust. Through generous donations, MGVP painted and fixed up the workshop where the briquettes are made and had a sign built and placed along the road advertising the product. Many members of the community were already stopping by to learn more about briquettes as the sign was going up. Read More
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Vets Assess Battle Wounds in Mishaya Group
Mishaya is a silverback in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, who last year left Nshongi group with a few females to start his own group. He was able to gather a few other females from the other groups, reaching a total of group size of 12 gorillas including three infants. Mishaya, the only adult male in the group, is reported to be a fighter who often starts interactions with other groups.
In late April, a non-habituated group was seen in Mishaya's range. On April 26, Mishaya and an infant gorilla were found with injuries resulting from from fight with the wild group. Drs. Fred and Magda traveled to Bwindi the next day to assess the damage. Read More
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