Since the morning of the gorilla massacre in July 2007, the wanderings of the Rugendo family has continued to worry us. Unfortunately, even though the family has a new leader, after Senkekwe was killed, they still move very close to the edge of the park, often moving into people’s fields and eating their crops.

This is a real problem, because it creates a lot of tension with local farmers, who lose their valued crops, and puts the Rugendo family at risk. The Lulengo family also have a bad habit of leaving the park, and the Humba gorillas were found in a field in mid-February.

The threat of human/animal conflict is real. Back in 2003, a juvenile in the Rugendo group called Bahati (whose mother Neza was subsequently killed in the unrelated 2007 attack) was stoned to death by locals in a field in Bikenge.

We are fighting to find a solution. In the past, IGCP helped to set up a local association called HUGO (HUmans + GOrillas), who guard the crops by pushing the gorillas back into the forest using drums. It seems the technique doesn’t work anymore- the gorillas are no longer scared of the drums. In fact, I’m told they enjoy the sound and allegedly start dancing when the drums appear (I think I’d like to see that).

We have arranged to continue working with the HUGOs, and we’re looking into other solutions, like a cycle path around the gorilla sector to help the rangers reach the trouble spots very quickly to resolve any problems. In any case, we’re worried as the Rugendo group are at risk, and we need to find a solution. Putting powdered pili-pili (hot chilly) on the crops close to the park might be a solution, as you can buy it by the sack-load in Rwanda.

For now, the Rugendo group has gone back into the park, since at the moment bamboo shoots are available, which they prefer. We have a few months to find a viable solution to a serious problem. Thoughts on this are most welcome.