From: Nickie
Joined: 4 years ago
Videos: 441

A forest fire in Rwanda's Volcano National Park, which started over the weekend, is now under control and is no longer a threat to the endangered gorillas. Hundreds of volunteers, military personnel and ex-prisoners worked together to put out the fire, which was seen spreading to the top of volcanic mount Muhabura. [Rosette Rugambwa, Director General, Rwanda Tourism Board]: "This is an exercise that started on Saturday, with very huge fires covering over hundred... hundred and fifty of hectares. We witnessed the damage that was done. The place is very, very dry and will be a big challenge in terms of regeneration of that forest." The fire was about 20 kilometers away from the gorilla habitats and is no longer a threat. [Rosette Rugambwa, Rwanda Tourism Board Director]: "Gorilla tourism continues. We have continued, we have not disrupted the service at all and now the business will continue as usual. So there was never any interruption, everything that was done was really to contain, to ensure that it doesn't spread to where gorillas and other wildlife are." Fewer than 720 of the highland gorillas exist in the wild, spreading across the remote Virunga hills where Democratic Republic of Congo meets Uganda and Rwanda. The primates are famous for the shimmering silver hair on the backs of males. The fire was sparked off by a farmer who smoked out bees from a hive in the park to extract honey. Over 150 hectares of the park was consumed. The fire would have been catastrophic if it hadn't been contained.

Tags:
endangered  forest  fire  species  rwanda

Connected To:
Forests and Sinks  Forest Impacts  Emperilled Ecosystems

Embed