Heros

More from Virunga park if you are a reader of my blog please re-blog this or re-post it. These people deserve all the support we can provide.  

Sandbags

August 6th, 2012 by Emmanuel

6Aug2012Filed under (Uncategorized) by Emmanuel @ 5:52 pm

Sandbags cost 60 cents each in Goma.  They are what seperates a ranger from death or serious injury when we come under attack.  I was in Lulimbi yesterday, and I came to realise that our two rangers who were injured during the attack on Friday morning suffered because our defences were inadequate.  It has become painfully obvious over the past few weeks that we have to do better in Rumangabo, Lulimbi, Ishango, Rwindi and elsewhere.

In twenty years in Congo, I’ve never known the violence of the past three weeks.  Unfortunately, it looks set to last, but our rangers have decided to stay and protect the park and it’s wildlife.  They’ll continue to suffer the attacks that we experienced in Rumangabo and Lulimbi.  I don’t have a military background, but I’ve lived through these attacks and gunfire comes from all sides, shrapnel tears at everything.  The only place our staff are safe is behind a sandbag formation.  We’ve run short of sandbags, and our resources are terribly stretched because our tourism revenues have run dry.  6 dollars will buy 10 sandbags, enough to protect 2 rangers during an attack.  Over time, they will probably save a rangers’ life.