UN Peacekeepers in DR Congo are planning a new gorilla rescue airlift next month, which will take six babies seized from poachers to a sanctuary in North Kivu. The airlift sparks calls for stronger control in Congo Basin forests. The rescue is being carried out amid concerns for the future of the endangered species and recommendations by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL to strengthen the capacity of the UN peacekeeping mission and law enforcement bodies to combat cross-border environmental crime in the Congo Basin and gorilla range states.
The operation, planned for mid-July, is the second to be conducted by UN forces in Congo Kinshasa (DRC) as part of a wider effort to combat the illegal cross-border trade in baby gorillas, which has intensified in recent years with the proliferation of armed groups in the region. The second airlift will involve transporting another six babies to the same sanctuary. Together, the orphaned gorillas are hoped to form a new “family” of ten. The ultimate objective is to rehabilitate the gorillas and to reintroduce them back in their natural environment.
The unfortunate victims of war
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