A Tribute to Mathias Mpiranya and the Trackers of Karisoke
Rwanda is best known for Dian Fossey, the mountain gorillas, and for
the genocide of 1994. Less well known is the hell to which the population
was subjected during 1997 and 1998. During that time, the Interahamwe
took over the volcanoes when they were forced out of refugee camps in
Zaire in 1996. They used the gorillas’ forest home as a base from
which to subjugate the local population. The Volcanoes National Park was
closed to tourism, the government park guards and guides suspended anti-poaching
and monitoring of four gorilla groups for a full two years, and thousands
of people were killed.
The Karisoke trackers were unable to enter the park for 14 months, but
used their initiative to negotiate military escorts to monitor three gorilla
groups which had been studied from Karisoke for three decades. It is not
only the hard work - long hours in physically strenuous high-altitude
terrain and a formidable climate - which makes the attitude of these men
unique. It is the extent to which they repeatedly risk their lives. Conservation
in Rwanda is not only a constant battle against poaching and other illegal
activities, but for a decade there has been civil war in and around the
volcanoes. The rugged terrain on the forested slopes provides a refuge
where rebel groups are difficult to locate. Many gorilla trackers’
homes were looted as they were known to possess raingear, rubber boots,
and other equipment useful to infiltrators hiding in the forest. To try
to combat the risks they were facing, in 1999 the park staff underwent
a grueling period of paramilitary training to be able to protect the gorillas
and themselves.
We began 2001 with optimism, announcing a 10% increase in the Virunga
mountain gorilla population, since 1989. Insecurity has prevented a full
census, so we used knowledge of known individuals monitored by the protected
area authorities in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda,
the Karisoke Research Centre and the International Gorilla Conservation
Programme to produce a minimum count of 359 individuals. This gave us
great hope that the gorillas are surviving in the face of so much adversity.
Events took a turn for the worse in late May, as the Great Lakes conflict
continued to stir, and several groups of rebels entered the Virungas in
an attempt to return to Rwanda. It was a great shock to learn of the killing
for food of at least one silverback gorilla, shot on June 1st. Eating
primates is against Rwandese culture and one of the rebels was so afraid
that his compatriots had be driven to such desperation, that he handed
himself over to the authorities. Those captured subsequent to the killing
admitted to having shot a second silverback. The gorillas were solitary
males, so our only consolation is that these deaths were not disruptive
to group life. After the killing was brought to light, protection of the
gorillas was greatly intensified with enormous support from the Rwandese
government.
The security situation remained precarious for more than three months,
during which time the Karisoke trackers monitored the gorillas irregularly,
having received instructions not to visit gorillas when soldiers were
unavailable to accompany them. On August 20th, they went to work without
a military escort, having been assured that the area they were entering
was safe. Nine trackers were on the gorillas’ trail when they were
surprised by a small group of rebels. Mathias Mpiranya, always the strongest
and the bravest, was in front.
As he prepared to fire, rebels shot him in the chest and he died instantly.
Born in 1962, Mathias began working for the Mountain Gorilla Project
in 1980, and participated in gorilla habituation for the newly initiated
tourism program, before he became an exceptional member of the Karisoke
staff in 1991. He was strong as a horse, hard working, brave and gentle.
In 1998, his wife was shot dead with their baby on her back. Mathias was
left with four children to care for and remarried last year. His bereaved
wife now has four dependants who are not even her own children. Mathias’
loss is devastating, a terrible waste of a wonderful person. He was a
source of strength and courage to us all, and we miss his calm good humor
and his smile.
Mathias’ death has been made harder to come to terms with by insidious
insinuations that he was accidentally killed by one of his colleagues
in crossfire. Mathias was one of the real heroes of conservation, the
ones who rarely receive recognition. Nowhere else have I encountered such
extraordinary dedication. The motivation to do their best in their jobs,
their loyalty to the mountain gorillas and the conservation ethic begun
by Dian Fossey, has developed and grown over more than 30 years working
as a team. With little formal education, the Karisoke staff have learnt
about the biology of the montane forest and its inhabitants by assisting
many students in their field research. And their enthusiasm has been fired
and maintained as they have recognised the importance of the Volcanoes
National Park and the vital ecological role of the montane forest to the
human population living in this region. I wish to express my enormous
admiration for these remarkable men, whom it has been a personal education
to work with and a privilege to know, and to whom we are greatly indebted.
Liz Williamson
Dr. Liz Williamson studied gorillas in Gabon from 1984 until 1990, when she became the Director of the Nyungwe Forest Conservation Project, Rwanda. She was involved in gorilla surveys in Congo/Zaire and Cameroon in 1994 and 1995. Until the end of 2001 she was the Director of the Karisoke Research Centre.
Photo: Liz Williamson
Mathias Mpiranya