The Successful Rescue Operation! | International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)

Some events are life changing and unforgettable! To Faustin Nibishaka, 9^th December 2024 will always be a memorable day! It started off as just a normal day in the wild as he did his routine work – monitoring the Susa Mountain gorilla group, in Volcanoes National Park. Little did Nibishaka know that later, he would witness a successful “’rescue operation” as Susa’s dominant Silverback, Impuzamahanga rescued sub-adult female Intarutwa from a snare!

As he narrates, the ranger can barely hide his joy for having witnessed such a historical moment.

“Some individuals in the group were feeding, others grooming while the juveniles played, just like any other normal day until they all started screaming loudly,” Nibishaka narrates.  According to Nibishaka, mountain gorillas usually scream to raise an alarm about a distressful situation that requires help. Rangers are aware of this vocalization and in such cases, they immediately assess the situation and call for help from veterinary teams.

On getting closer to the group, the rangers were thrown into a panic mode with what they saw! A sub-adult female named Intarutwa had been caught in a snare and the other group individuals were watching helplessly! “We started thinking quickly on how to save poor Intarutwa and how to manage the situation before tourists headed to visit the group could arrive. We also needed a plan on how to push the other gorillas away from the scene as the rescue operation takes place,” says Eric Ngoga, another Ranger with the group.

Well, as the rangers planned, Impuzamahanga, the dominant Silverback, also had a plan! For a few minutes, Impuzamahanga had been whining and roaring, to express distress and to aggressively warn the group about the danger they were in, but after realizing that this had not brought much result, the Silverback Swung into action! He broke the “bamboo” part of the snare, setting free Intarutwa who distressfully but calmly waited for help! The “rescue mission” took about 5 minutes but it was indeed worth watching!

“Dismantling a snare is one thing but rescuing a gorilla from a snare – safe and unharmed is something that exudes skill! It is a memory to behold,” says Ranger Eric Ngoga. Ngoga says he had last seen this uncommon practice of a “gorilla destroying a snare” 10 years ago, in Susa group when Silverback Kurira still headed the group.

“Watching gorillas get more alert and aware of snares is such a good sign. Not that we should reduce the patrol efforts to remove snares but even if just one gorilla is rescued from a snare by another gorilla, it is something worth celebrating,” says Damascene Hakizimana, Research and Monitoring Warden at Volcanoes National Park.

Poaching is one of the biggest threats that mountain gorillas face in their habitat. While mountain gorillas are not primary poaching targets, they fall prey to snares set for other animals which puts their life in danger. Damascene says snares are still very common in the gorilla habitat, revealing that between September to December 2024, 810 snares were destroyed in Volcanoes National Park by patrol teams. 

Damascene attributes the increase in snares in the park to the civil unrest in DRC that has left Virunga National Park unmonitored, poachers use this opportunity to enter the park through the DRC side to set snares in Volcanoes National Park with which they share a boarder.