Patrick Karabaranga

Who is Patrick Karabaranga? you ask. Well, he works as a park ranger at the Virunga National Park. This park is actually a very notable one that has done a commendable job in preserving wildlife. The national park is reportedly one of the oldest African national parks. There are around 880 gorillas that stay in this national park. They rely on the park for safety, food, and co-existence. The number of gorillas that stay here actually amounts to a quarter of all the mountain gorilla population.

Dedication

So what does Karabaranga do? Well, he is a dedicated park ranger who works towards the betterment of the gorillas that stay in their natural habitat. This man aims to save as many gorillas as he possibly can and has done so many times throughout his career. He would sometimes pose a danger to himself when he finds out about infiltrations from poachers and traffickers. He does his best to keep these gorillas from those who seek to attack them. An attack happened in the park when the ranger was not available…

Young Gorilla

When he heard about the attack, Karabaranga quickly went to the park to check what had happened there. There was a photo taken of Karabaranga where he had placed his arm around a young gorilla which appeared to be going through some emotional stress. This moment of affection that the park ranger Karabaranga and the gorilla shared in the photo made everyone who had even seen the picture to feel that pain. This young gorilla had just lost his mother…

Poachers

As you may have already guessed, yes the gorilla lost his life at the hands of human brutality. The young gorilla’s mother had been attacked by none other than the evil poachers who had managed to sneak into the national park. He and another two orphaned gorillas had been kept in the park after losing their parents because of the poachers. The young gorilla can be seen hanging onto Karabaranga as if he is pleading him to make the pain go away. He rests in the park ranger’s arms, looking for someone to ease the agony.

Miracle Babies

It seems that some of the gorillas had such a dark past that it was quite surprising for the park rangers that they were doing well. Even the mere fact that these gorillas had survived and thrived was something to short of a miracle. De Merode also claimed that it was pretty miraculous. Baby gorillas of that age very rarely survive. The park does all that it can to hopefully keep these gorillas in a better environment than they could ever hope for. All they aim to do is to save and help produce as many gorillas as they possibly can.

Civil War

There is another big issue that gives the staff working here a hard time in trying to fulfill their goals. The Civil war that has begun between the rebel forces and the Congolese Armed Forces has affected the entire population which includes the park rangers too. The reports have claimed that over 100 park rangers have died directly or indirectly due to the warfare. The Rangers have submitted themselves in order to preserve the animals and park in every way they possibly can…

Dwindling

There are various reasons as to why the mountain gorillas have such a high premium for hunters and poachers. Poachers can easily get into the habitat of these gorillas, trapping them for their selfish gains. These apes are not predators so there is no way they can defend themselves, not to mention they are usually sneak attacks. Therefore, the population of these gorillas has drastically decreased.

Continued Work

The continued work and effort put in by these wildlife parks and conservation sites have helped better the issues faced by these gorillas. They have indeed saved the gorillas against deadly threats such as poachers and deforestation. Gorillas are as we have said, highly respectable apes that deserve a chance in life, a chance to thrive and populate. They are on the verge of being extinct and the main reasons are human-related. Hence it is up to us to help save them and give them a bright future.