UN helicopters carrying a baby gorilla haven

KINSHASA (Reuters) – Soldiers of UN peacekeepers in Congo used helicopters to transport baby endangered gorilla to a reservation after being rescued in conflict areas where they might have been captured by traffickers or to serve as food.

Animals are lowland gorillas, a species that lives only in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN , for its acronym in English).

The four gorillas, rescued from the hands of traffickers in several parts of eastern Congo, an area of fighting, were taken by helicopter from Goma to the reserve Kasugho in the province of North Kivu.

“If vehicles are used, there is a greater risk of losing animals because they are traumatized. We use helicopters because they really want to reduce the level of stress, “said Benoit Kisuki, director of IUCN to the country, told Reuters.

Kisuki airline said that the transfers were part of a broader project to combat the illegal trade of baby gorilla, which has intensified in recent years1000with the proliferation of armed groups and ongoing insecurity in eastern Congo.

“The goal is to reintroduce them to their natural habitat,” he added.

Gorillas are often captured, trafficked and sold for thousands of dollars on the world market as exotic pets. Others are killed and sold locally as “bush meat”.

research center monitors Kasugho young gorillas in an area of two hectares while being prepared to be reintegrated into their habitat.

Six other animals now protected in Rwanda, will be taken on June 10 to “socialize” with the first group and “form a family of 10 individuals,” said Kisuki.

Gorillas could be an asset to the future economic development of eastern Congo, as the animals became a major tourist attraction in Uganda and Rwanda, leading to several million dollars in revenue.

There is no precise information on the population of lowland gorillas. But Congo gorillas have weathered years of conflict in the east and more than 150 rangers were killed trying to protect the five national parks from poachers.

A report backed by the UN said last month that the gorillas could be almost extinct in the Great Basin of the Congo to half of the 2020s, unless action is taken to stop poaching and protect their habitat.

(Editing by Patricia Avila Spanish)