From the African Parks Homepage:

THREE KILLED AND TWO WOUNDED BY ELEPHANT POACHERS IN GARAMBA NATIONAL PARK, DRC


April 24th, 2016




Five members from African Parks, including four rangers and the Park Manager, sustained injuries in a shootout with elephant poachers yesterday on April 23rd, 2016 in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).



It is with sincere regret that we inform you that three of the Rangers, Richard Sungudikpio Ndingba, Rigobert Anigobe Bagale, and Dieudonné Tsago Matikuli have since died. Ranger Dieudonné Kanisa Adrupiako and Park Manager Erik Mararv who both sustained gunshot wounds are now in stable condition.



Besides Dieudonné Tsago Matikuli whose body was recovered this morning, the other three Rangers and the Park Manager were evacuated by AFRICOM yesterday and flown to a US military base in Nzara, South Sudan. Two of the three Rangers were in critical condition and were stabilized prior to being transferred to a UN military hospital in Bria, Central African Republic (CAR). Tragically however, Rigobert Anigobe Bagale and Richard Sungudikpio Ndingba died there today.



“We are devastated by this latest loss. Rangers put their lives on the line each and every day, and are under real siege in Garamba protecting elephants from heavily incentivized and militarized poaching gangs who threaten the very survival of humans and wildlife alike” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks. “Our heartfelt condolences are with the surviving family members of the rangers we have lost. We are extremely grateful to the support we have received from AFRICOM who provided for the timely evacuations and for the assistance of SANGARIS in CAR. We are doing everything possible to provide for all these men and their families during this very difficult time.”



African Parks is fortunate to have in place a Personal Accident Policy that in the event of death or an accident covers that employee and their family members in the amount of six times their annual salary, in addition to any funds raised through campaigns and generous donors.



Elephants numbered around 22,000 in the late 1970’s but today a fraction of their population remains. This is ground zero in the elephant poaching crisis, where elephants are slaughtered for their ivory tusks to be sold illegally by local and regional criminal networks. In 2015, Garamba tragically lost five ICCN guards and three members of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) who were killed by heavily-armed elephant poachers in three separate incidents.



African Parks has been managing Garamba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since 2005 in partnership with the Institut Congolais pour La Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the DRC’s official wildlife authority. The park, which is 4,900km2 and is part of the larger Garamba Complex of 12,500km2, is the last stronghold for elephants and giraffe in all of Congo.


About African Parks: African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. African Parks manages 10 national parks and protected areas in seven countries covering six million hectares: Malawi, Zambia, CAR, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Chad.

To learn more, please visit www.african-parks.org


Contact African Parks: info@african-parks.org
Phone: US: +1 646 568 1276 // South Africa +27 11 465 0050 // Netherlands: +31 343 565 019

If you wish to help support African Parks during this time, please donate here: https://www.african-parks.org/donate

To help the rangers specifically, please reference “Ranger Fund” in the message section of the donate page.

Sad to hear and this sort of thing needs military intervention.

that is bad news.
Should these park rangers not be taught by top notch military contractors prior to taking up arms in the poaching battle that seems to never end. I know training from elite forces would definitely give them a tactical advantage over the enemy.

I read, I think it was in African Hunter, that at one time some years ago when Kabila was just coming to power some NGO in Garamba actually got a quote from Saracen to secure the park. This was of course un-PC and was quickly scuttled. Hire a good PMC to do the training and supply the infrastructure. An African government would be unlikely to hand over control of the whole operation to foreigners these days, but G2, G4 and G6 could all be out-sourced to good effect.

quote:

Should these park rangers not be taught by top notch military contractors prior to taking up arms in the poaching battle that seems to never end. I know training from elite forces would definitely give them a tactical advantage over the enemy.

With the exception of Namibia, I'm not convinced that the governments in Africa really care about stopping poaching.

Is that the Erik Mavrav of CAWA fame?

Yes, this is Erik Mararv. He is in J-berg right now at a trauma hospital.

Erik, Emily and the children will be in my prayers. It's sad but this is a war and the PH's are on the frontlines. Where is PETA with their good intentions.

I have an update - he was shot in the leg through the femur with significant exit wound damage. No arterial or major internal tissue damage. Several folks will be visiting him in Jo-berg this week. He will then go to Sweden for re-hab.

Wish him all the Best. Tough Job !

Shot and been in prison for multiple murders (did not do it) and he is only 30.. Hope Erik will recover 100% and come back and keep protecting Cawas areas and reopen them.

15 of his employees died in this poaching war last year alone.

Updates please?

There are no updates...crazy - and lucky thing - is that he was evacuated first to a special forces field hospital where he was stabilised and then moved to Bangui in CAR for further attention before ending up in Joburg at the end...my question is...with special forces in teh field how or why are they not deployed on a swift and final follow up on people that perpetrate this kind of nonsense?

African Parks is one hell of an organization with a great track record. Another ex-PH that works for them is Leon Lamprecht...another great guy.

African Parks is a good org to donate to.

Is this something DSC Frontline can help with? To expand their mission to cover those carrying out anti-poaching across the continent? Great PR.... plus it truly helps create a safety net for those who are helping conserve Africa's wildlife and wild places.

Proud to see some positive comments about AP!

Here's another article with a few more details, but I haven't heard anything more recent. http://www.newyorker.com/news/.../shootout-in-garamba

Garamba is a full-on war-zone. Every armed group from South Sudan through Central African Republic to Uganda is in there for ivory. The local people sign up to be rangers because they're proud to be looked on as the only chance for peace!

https://www.gq.com/story/inside-the-ivory-wars



Good article and photos from two days ago.

Kathi, Thank you for the good articles that you post.
Brian

Is this relevant to something that's ongoing now? (it's a 2016 report.) There were six rangers KIA in Virunga a week or so ago.