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Issue  No. 3
April 1 9 9 7

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News from the Field

'The mountain gorillas of PNV are visited by his excellency the President of the Republic of Rwanda '

It was the 26 of January 1996 at 8 o'clock in the morning, when the presidential convoy sped past my office in Ruhengeri towards Kinigi. Without hesitation, we followed the cars.

In terms of his nature, he made us all feel at ease by the exemplary simplicity of his visit to our Kinigi headquarteers. After his brief visit, we took to the Kinigi-Mukingo road to visit the gorillas: the Suza group. At around 10am we started our walk, and what a walk! A climb, it was. Yet His Excellency and entourage were indefatigable despite the arduousness of the trail. At every possible occasion the President called out to the farmers digging in their fields of potatoes, to great them. I would bet that many of the people along the way did not realise they had been greeted by their head of State! I got the impression they felt he was merely a tourist of some importance, given that he was accompanied by men in uniforms.

After three stops, we finally arrived at the forest edge where our park guide gave his usual talk to our important visitors. The cold at an altitude of more than 3000 metres, the lush vegetation and the joyful bird songs welcomed us.

Before us we found the gorilla family leader, Umugame - old, but still the head of the family; Kurira, a male preparing to take on the responsibility of head of the family; and let us not forget the mothers, Mukuru, with her baby Ruvumu, and Giti, with her baby Getty. And of course the juveniles, such as Bikuri and Rwandarushya who would not stop doing somersaults and posing in front the cameras. Our visitors were amazed and charmed and completely forgot their fatigue.

After the visit to the gorillas, His Excellency revealed that he wanted to see for himself the tourism potential of the PNV and the improvements that could be made to its quality.

The descent from the park was agreeably refreshing because of gentle rain. When we arrived at back at base, a veritable crowd had gathered to welcome His Excellency.

The President of the Republic spoke with the crowd and took advantage of the occasion to underline the importance of the Park, both for the local population and for all of Rwanda. He requested that people respect the integrity of the park and its wildlife. He also insisted that Rwanda's partners emphasise the need for an environmental education programme for the Rwandan population.

His Excellency invited us, spontaneously, to a glass of wine in his honour, and chatted amicably with the crowd and representatives of the conservation organizations IGCP, DFGF and MGVC. In this festive atmosphere thus created, he bid us farewell.

This day will remain with us as an unforgettable one. Partly for the sage advice of his Excellency and for the honour of his visit to our Park.






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dot graphicsThe situation in Eastern Kivu

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dot graphicsPark evaluation

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dot graphicsInformation from the Mikeno Sector Posts

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dot graphicsIZCN

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dot graphicsExtensive training programme in Rwanda and Zaire

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dot graphicsField training

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dot graphicsEnglish language training

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dot graphicsNews from the field, Rwanda

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dot graphicsFor more information



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