Nine orphan gorillas will start new lives in a nature reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), thanks to assistance from peacekeepers serving with the United Nations mission in the country, known as MONUC.
Five years ago, Kakule Vwirasihikya's and his colleagues’ established the 225,000-acre Tayna Gorilla Reserve which protects gorillas, elephants, and leopards while providing many locals with jobs and education. Its community college, Tayna Center for Conservation Biology (TCCB), proudly announced on January 8, 2009, that it now has 220 graduates in natural resource management and conservation.
Conde Nast Traveler awarded Pierre Kakule Vwirasihikya, a 46-year old native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 2005 Environmental Award.
The 225,000-acre Tayna Gorilla Reserve not only protects gorillas, elephants, and leopards, but also provides many locals with jobs. Last year, Pierre Kakule Vwirasihikya helped start a community college called Tayna Center for Conservation Biology, where more than a hundred Congolese students are studying natural resource management and conservation.
The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species signs a contract with other partners to undertakes initiative for the conservation of Gorillas in 10 African States on February 7,2006.