SOME of the surprise in the news that Emmanuel de Merode, chief warden of Virunga Park, had been shot and wounded in eastern Congo was that it had not happened sooner. The Belgian-born head of the spectacular reserve, home--some reckon--to 80% of the world's surviving mountain gorillas, has been doing arguably the most dangerous job in conservation since 2008.
He was ambushed and shot four times on April 15th as he drove along the stretch of road between Goma, Congo's eastern trading hub, and Rumangabo, where the park has its headquarters. None of the bullets appeared to have hit vital organs; doctors who treated him in Goma said his life was not in danger.
Africa's oldest park, established in 1925, Virunga takes its name from the chain of volcanoes that stud the border between Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Home to what Mr de Merode has called "charismatic mega-fauna", its other residents include armed rebel groups and refugees in vast camps, products of Congo's relentless civil strife.
Mr de Continue reading
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