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News to cheer

R. KRITHIKA

PHOTO: AP

NEW BIRTH: Congo's Virunga National Park.

Congo's mountain gorillas, under constant threat from poaching and civil war, finally had news to cheer with the birth of a mountain gorilla in Congo's Virunga National Park, where the last few survivors live. Earlier this year the Africa Conservation Fund accused rebel soldiers of killing two of the gorillas for food while park ranger Paulin Ngobobo met rebel leaders to broker an agreement to stop the killing. The new gorilla, Ndeze was born on February 17 and is the 12th member of the family. According to AP, about 380 mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Volcanoes Conservation Area, which is shared by Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Another 320 gorillas live in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Another species that is on the downslide is the hippo, down to 900 from 22,000 in 1998. Again it is rebel soldiers who are being blamed for the decline.

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