Hippos and gorillas the innocent victims of DR Congo violence

Fighting continues

May 2010: It must be one of the most difficult and dangerous places to be a ranger in the world. Rangers are not only battling to keep away poachers but also find themselves in hand-to-hand combat with rebel groups and rogue military elements.

ON TARGET: Rangers are being trained to help them deal with violence in DR Congo's parks

The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused more deaths than any war since the Second World war - some 3.3.million between 1998 and 2002 alone.

Despite a peace agreement the sporadic fighting continues and rangers in the national parks that house some of the most endangered wildlife in the world do not escape.

Only 300 hippos left

Earlier this month Wildlife Extra reported on the death of one ranger in the park at the hands of rebels, and the serious injury of another. But now the rangers are doubling their efforts to fight back. The southern shores of Lake Edward are known as the killing fields - thousands of hippos have been slaughtered over the years. From a population of about 27,000 hippos 20 years ago only about 300 remain.

An intensive training programme at the eastern park station in Lulimbi is teaching rangers about the latest law enforcement techniques in an area regularly blighted by violent attacks from rebel groups.

Their equipment, too, is being improved. They are bringing in 4x4 trucks from the Dutch army to increase mobility and using European Union money to buy three boats for the lake to help make efforts to protect hippos more effective.

The rangers have to cope with extreme levels of violence and their first moves to protect the hippos saw no fewer than eight armed conflicts with rogue military elements. But, after three weeks, the rangers were told the soldiers were leaving the park. Thirty-three arrests were made during the operation, many of them armed men who were in the park illegally.

Scout patrols start to beat the poachers

SNARE SCOUTS: The latest recruits to Virunga's new scouting programme

The rangers now hope to improve communications and surveillance and want to raise funds to set up a radio network for the area. They have also put down a deposit on a light aircraft - a 1976 Cessna 182 - and are paying for adjustments to turn it into a bush plane. They hope it will be in operation in the park by mid-July.

Meanwhile, in the gorilla sector of Virunga, 40 community scouts are hard at work removing snares from the area. The initiative was started as a result of the death earlier this year of a baby gorilla.

Scouts are based at four patrol posts in the area and are drawn from the local community. Already there are positive results. Earlier this week a patrol arrested a poacher near Bukima. He had one metal snare and two rope ones. He was intending to catch buffalo.