Twenty-Five Years as A Ranger and Still Counting: A Story of Christopher Hanyurwimpfura!
Blog | 24/05/24
“The appeal of the wild for me is its unpredictability. You have to develop an awareness, react fast, be resourceful and come up with a plan and act on it,” says Bear Grylls, the Author of Man Vs Wild.
His quote resonates well with the work of Christopher Habimpfura, a 54-year-old Park Ranger who has dedicated over 25 years to protecting wildlife, especially the endangered mountain gorillas that live in Rwanda’s protected area – Volcanoes National Park.
Conservation has become an integral part of his life to the extent that he inspired his eldest daughter to follow in his footsteps. It’s a journey that has been unpredictable, albeit fulfilling.
Growing up in Bugesera, Eastern Rwanda, a place with no parks and protected areas, the idea of becoming a conservationist never crossed Christopher’s mind in his early years. He always dreamt of completing his primary school education and launching a small business to support his family.
However, the pivotal moment arrived in 2000, when an opportunity for him to venture into conservation came knocking.
“I learned from a family member that Nyungwe National Park was recruiting rangers, and the salary offer was Frw 25000. I needed the income, and I had what it takes to join, so I gave it a shot,” he narrates.
Fast forward, he was hired! As a first-time worker in the field, he was fascinated by a lot. The colobus monkeys and chimpanzees’ intelligence left him in awe, not to mention the magnificent mountain gorillas.
“I recall my first encounter with a mountain gorilla! It was a scary yet beautiful experience,” Christopher says, as he recalls walking into an interaction between Isimbi and Susa groups.
“The groups’ lead silverbacks were charging at each other while adult females fiercely protected their babies, as if shielding them from the fight,” he reminisces.
Such a wild encounter ignited Christopher’s curiosity and passion to know more about mountain gorillas, prompting him to delve deeper into understanding their way of life and how they could be better protected.
“Along the way, I learned that mountain gorillas live in close-knit families that they protect selflessly.” he says.
Later, he joined a patrol ranger team with a well-defined role of arresting and reporting illegal activities within Volcanoes National Park. Describing a typical working day, Christopher can’t find a better description than “unpredictable.”
Nothing is predictable for a ranger! Not even the time for starting work!
“For rangers in charge of arresting illegal activities within the park, entering the protected area mostly depends on suspected illegal activities within, and so does leaving the park,” Christopher says, as he recounts once spending an entire night in the park, diligently searching for poachers’ trails and dismantling snares.
“I entered the park at 3:00 pm upon receiving reliable information about two notorious poachers entering the area. My colleague and I pursued them, removing snares along the way until we successfully arrested them in the early hours of the morning. We managed to remove over 200 snares, a task that filled us with pride,” he proudly narrates.
As delighted as they were with their accomplishment, navigating their way out of the forest presented another challenge. They found themselves repeatedly choosing incorrect paths, and before they realized it, it was dawn!
Inspite of all the challenges, Christopher has achieved significant milestones ranging from work to personal life and development; a legacy he prefers to be remembered for. In 2017, Christopher championed anti-poaching in Butaka, a former red zone.
He used to remove at least 10 snares every day arrested bamboo cutters, and honey harvesters who illegally entered the park.
“Butaka is not entirely clear of poaching, but I am proud of my contribution to combating poaching there,” he notes.
In the past three years, he shifted from law enforcement to daily monitoring of habituated mountain gorilla groups. Here, he has not only done his work well, but managed to introduce his own daughter, Angel, to conservation.
“I wanted a backup plan for when I retire and can’t protect the mountain gorillas anymore. Fortunately, my daughter embraced the opportunity,” he proudly says.
Currently, Angel is a tour guide at Volcanoes National Park, with aspirations to become a full-time park ranger, just like her father.
“My most challenging moment was learning to use the gun, but I did my best to learn anyway. I wanted to make dad happy. Personally, I aspire to become the best female ranger and an inspiration to the younger generation to join this fulfilling field,” she says.
At a personal level, Christopher has built a permanent residential house, started a small business for his wife, and educated his 5 children.
But as they say, there are no roses without thorns. As such, Christopher has encountered some challenges on his conservation journey.
“I was once attacked by an unknown non-habituated solitary silverback, and it injured my left hand. I am getting better though and will soon be completely well,” he gives an example.
For Christopher, however, challenges should not halt the efforts of conserving mountain gorillas and their habitat for future generations. As he looks forward to retirement, he knows he will have a story to tell—a story of his significant contribution to conservation!
