Construction of a New Patrol Post at Mt. Tshiabirimu

The construction project at Kikyo patrol post is closely associated with the urgency of saving the gorilla Kanindo. In March 2005 this silverback separated from the Lusenge family and became solitary, ranging in the extreme south of Mt. Tshiabirimu. He leaves the park regularly and roams the adjacent fields, where he encounters goats, sheep and cows. He has peaceful encounters with passers-by on the Kaliro-Vuveylac road, to whom he has now habituated.
However, this gorilla is at risk: he may contract or pass on diseases, he may be killed or cause an accident on the road. The construction of a patrol post at Kikyo is urgently required to protect Kanindo from possible harm.
Construction started on April 18th, 2005. Activities have included:

• Surveying the area to choose the appropriate site;
• Clearing the site;
• Purchasing and transporting the construction materials;
• Sensitizing the local population, including the local chiefs, and ensuring that they participated in the construction of the post;
• Recruiting carpenters and stone masons;
• Beginning the carpentry and masonry work.

Almost all the work has been carried out by the population living adjacent to Mt. Tshiabirimu, who have taken time off from their usual work.
The Kikyo patrol post includes two chalets. Each chalet is semi-detached, and each half contains three rooms. The post will house 4 guards or trackers and their families. Each house is 9 m long and 4.5 m wide and has a balcony on each entrance.
Many people have participated in or facilitated the construction of the Kikyo patrol post, either physically or by providing moral support, and we are very grateful to them. Among these are: the chiefs of Ngitse-Kaliro, the youth of Ngitse and Kaliro, a group of the Seventh Day Adventists of Kaliro, the general population of Ngitse, Kaliro and Ngunuikira, etc., and the workers of the DFGF-E/Mt. Tshiabirimu Project.
A second activity that demonstrates that the DFGF-E (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe) project is reaching the heart of the community is Jean Claude Kyungu's initiative to erect signs. This has the support of the administrative and customary authorities of Butembo and the other communities surrounding Mt. Tshiabirimu. The inauguration ceremony of these signs was a great success attracting 5,000 participants! The ceremony was accompanied by traditional folk dances and a concert.
DFGF-E is grateful to the artist Sauveur Mulwana for his performance, to the musician Popla, to Makasi from tourism and to all the tribal chiefs; last but not least, thanks to the traditional dancers from Tshiabirimu.

Jean Claude Kyungu

Jean Claude Kyungu Kasolene led an ecology NGO between 1994 and 1999. Since 1997, he has been the North-Kivu consultant on biodiversity. He headed the Tayna Gorilla Reserve and is now Project Manager for the Mt. Tshiabirimu Gorilla Project.

Tshiaberimu overview

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