Gorilla Journal 13, December 1996

In the Forest of the World's Rarest Gorillas

A remote mountain in eastern Zaire, Mt. Tshiaberimu, is the home of the smallest gorilla population of the world. It still is not known what they look like and whether they are mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas or another subspecies. At best 20 of these apes have found refuge in a small forest island.
After an adventurous and sometimes dangerous journey, Ulrich Karlowski, Ursula Karlowski and Denise Wenger, on behalf of the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe, succeeded in working their way through to Mt. Tshiaberimu in July 1996. They handed over equipment which was urgently needed to the guards. This was the start of our new gorilla conservation project.

In a Precarious Situation

At the beginning of the century, the rain forest surrounding Mt. Tshiaberimu was estimated to extend to 450 km² - now only about 60 km² are left. The mountain is situated in the northern sector of the Virunga National Park. In 1995, Thomas Butynski and Esteban Sarmiento conducted the first true gorilla census at Tshiaberimu. During their 2-week census, they found traces of one gorilla group with 4 members and another one with 11 individuals, as well as a solitary silverback.
"It seems that the total number of gorillas remaining on Mt. Tshiaberimu is 16 to 18, at best perhaps 20, certainly not more. We searched nearly every corner where gorillas might be found. Surprisingly, the animals only use an area of approximately 18 km² in the bamboo and large Podocarpus zone between 2,700 and 2,900 m on the southwestern corner of the mountain," Esteban Sarmiento said. The anatomist had measured gorilla skeletons and skulls, including a few from Mt. Tshiaberimu, in museums around the world. When we asked whether the animals belong to the mountain gorilla subspecies, he said: "We can only say that they are unusually large gorillas which cannot simply be classified as mountain or eastern lowland gorillas. Without additional field observations, we just can say for the moment that this certainly is a very interesting genetical variation of the species."
At least these animals have learned to hide very well - neither the American researchers nor the park guards saw any gorillas, not even from a distance.

Forest Elephants, Monkeys and Rare Birds

During the 1995 expedition, forest elephants also were hiding in the dense forest, although their tracks were clearly visible. Other larger mammals have become scarce at Mt. Tshiaberimu; only the blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) lives there in considerable numbers. A group of L'Hoest's monkeys (Cercopithecus lhoesti) and some guerezas (Colobus guereza) were sighted, and the guards said that probably three duiker species are also present, whereas leopards, forest hogs and buffaloes have vanished long ago. Elephants, gorillas and the other animals are prisoners of the mountain; they cannot escape because the areas between the forest islands are too densely populated.
Numerous bird species live in this rain forest that looks strangely lost. Even if not all species have been registered, it has become clear that the Tshiaberimu hosts a surprising variety of birds, amongst them several rare species that perhaps can only survive as long as this forest exists.

A Forest Refuge and Many Questions

Wherever you look from the top of Mt. Tshiaberimu, the forest has disappeared outside the park boundaries except for small fringes along the mountains. Even those last remnants are slowly being destroyed bit by bit. Only a very small area is remaining from a rain forest that was still large 100 years ago. Slash-and-burn cultivation is the most serious threat to the gorillas and elephants. Some parts of the forest have been cleared and are populated up to 1 km within the national park area. Along the rivers the disastrous traces of gold miners who worked here until a few years ago are still clearly visible.
Is there a chance of survival for 20 gorillas in a 60 km² forest island in politically instable eastern Zaire at all? Does it make sense to protect a population of 20 animals without any chance for contact with conspecifics, who therefore inevitably end up in a genetical dead end? Would it not be a better idea to catch the gorillas of Mt. Tshiaberimu and translocate them to a zoo or larger national park area? Would this promise a better chance to save them from extinction?
"Anyone who considers this or similar actions is wasting his time, and the Tshiaberimu gorillas do not have much time left". This is the conviction of Kimpungi-Muckar, the conservator of the northern sector of Virunga National Park.
With nearly fierce determination, the IZCN (Institut Zairois pour la Conservation de la Nature - Zairean Institute for the Conservation of Nature) wants to save as many of the animals and as much their habitat as possible. Since the conservator increased the number of guards for Tshiaberimu, poachers are hardly seen any more, and gold miners and woodcutters have completely disappeared from the area. Illegal cultivation has also been brought to a standstill. Staying in the forest can be dangerous for poachers nowadays. With no questions asked, armed intruders may be shot, and anyone who carries arms should be aware that the guards will shoot if he runs away instead of surrendering.
However, the guards do not have much more than their guns to protect the area. Their monthly pay is about US$ 1 and they do not receive it regularly. Thanks to an EU project which adds another US$ 15 to their monthly earnings, the IZCN guards now have enough time besides agriculture to dedicate to nature conservation.
But even the US$ 15-16 per month are neither sufficient for food, nor for clothing or equipment. There is no hope for help from Kinshasa, and until recently now it seemed as if the world had forgotten about the gorillas of Mt. Tshiaberimu and their guards. Thomas Butynski and Esteban Sarmiento recommended that a comprehensive nature conservation project be established as soon as possible. As an immediate first step, equipment should be provided for the twelve Tshiaberimu guards. Exactly this was what we wanted to do during a scientific expedition.

Uncertain Journey into the Dark Heart of Africa

For July 1996, a 2-week expedition to Mt. Tshiaberimu had been planned with representatives of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF), Zoo Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe. Its most important aims were to negotiate with leading officials of the IZCN, possibilities for the immediate establishment of a conservation project there, to conduct comprehensive zoological and botanical inventories and to provide equipment to the guards. Altogether, about 14 persons from the USA and Germany were to participate. In addition to the equipment for the twelve guards, we had already ordered new uniforms and gum boots from a manufacturer in Kinshasa. According to our schedule, the uniforms already should have been delivered in July. However, things turned out differently.
Three weeks before our scheduled departure, the realization of the expedition became more and more questionable. Troubles and shootings in the refugee camps along the Virunga National Park were reported between the former Rwandan army and Zairean army, as well as some border conflicts with the new Rwandan army. We heard that the borders from Uganda and Rwanda to Zaire were closed. Moreover, it was uncertain whether the IZCN would give their permission for the expedition. On 29 September, there were rumours that the Hutu militia had put a reward of US$ 1,000 on each American. Except for Esteban Sarmiento, all Americans consequently cancelled their participation. Our preparations were quite advanced at that time, and the risk did not seem very high to us, therefore we decided to deliver the equipment.

The Long Way to Mt. Tshiaberimu

We crossed the Zairean border at Kasindi with the equipment for the guards in mid-July and arrived at Mutsora, the headquarters for the management of the northern sector of the Virunga Park, without any problems. Our suprise action was successful. Kimpungi-Muckar had just returned from Kinshasa 2 days earlier, and he personally accompanied us to Mt. Tshiaberimu. One reason for this was perhaps that he otherwise cannot get there easily: Only one vehicle is available in the northern park sector, and it is often broken and not strong enough to manage the road up to Mt. Tshiaberimu.
It proved to be important to have Kimpungi-Muckar with us, as he obviously is a highly respected authority in the region. Without him we certainly would not have passed the many military and paramilitary checkpoints so smoothly. We heard gunshots every night we spent in Zaire.
Completely overloaded with seven persons and the equipment, it took us 4.5 hours for the last 37 km up the Tshiaberimu on a mountain road along incredible inclines and bends. Above 2,300 m, everything disappeared in dense mist. With a visibility range of about 5 m, the car creeped the last kilometers at walking speed.
The park guards who are stationed at the edge of the forest close by the mountain village Burusi, gladly received our equipment. They live here with their families completely secluded from the rest of the world, and before our visit they had not received any material support. The following equipment from the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe was handed over: 12 backpacks, 5 sleeping bags, 12 T-shirts, 12 pullovers, 36 pairs of socks, 12 rain ponchos, 12 water bottles, 2 tents, 3 terps, 1 binocular and 1 compass.
For the park guards our direct aid meant an enormous revaluation of their status in the whole region. Kimpungi-Muckar and the Zairean biologist Deo Mbula, who had been employed by the IZCN as special conservator for Mt. Tshiaberimu, also realized that the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe is seriously interested in the protection of the Tshiaberimu gorillas and that we do not just make promises, but also keep them.

A Future for 20 Gorillas

On the part of Zaire, first steps had already been taken for the better protection of this area: Kimpungi-Muckar had increased the number of guards to 21. This meant, however, that the 12 sets of equipment we handed over could not cover the actual requirements. In 1997, the number of guards - according to IZCN plans - is to be increased to nearly 50. Now the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe and other conservation organizations should support the pathbreaking efforts of the Zairean authorities and help them to master their difficult task.
In addition, a four-wheel drive vehicle is urgently needed - it could be bought for about US$ 5,000 in Zaire - along with cameras, torches, compasses, radio sets and other material necessary for the long-term protection of the Tshiaberimu gorillas and their habitat. We promised the guards, Kimpungi-Muckar and Deo Mbula, that we would come back in 1997 and bring all this equipment with us.

Ulrich Karlowski worked as scientific advisor for the Deutscher Tierschutzbund in Bonn for 3 years and was responsible, among other tasks, for the Mgahinga Project. He worked for the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe since 1992, and from 1994 to 1997 he has been a member of the board of directors. At present, he works as a freelance journalist.
Dr. Ursula Karlowski became involved in rain forest conservation in 1988, especially in southwestern Uganda. Currently she is working at the University of Rostock. Her special interests are vegetation change and nature conservation strategies.
Denise Wenger, a biologist, did eco-ethological research at the Max Planck Institute for human ethology in Andechs. After that she worked for species and habitat conservation at the Bavarian Landesamt für Umweltschutz and since 1993 she has been responsible for nature conservation in an animal protection society.

Mt. Tshiaberimu overview

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