The Virunga Elephants near Lake Edward

Watch some amazing footage of the Virunga Elephants.

The road that you see on the video is the main and only road going to Vitshumbi, Lake Edward, a few kilometers away from Nyakakoma, the place where SOCO intends to conduct its oil search.

Virunga elephants are at risk; in te last couple of months some of them have been slaughter. New influx of people in and around the park could have disastrous impact on their survival and it could trigger a new poaching crisis.

This magnificent animals are so vulnerable to poachers, oil exploration in the park is the last thing they need.


Virunga National Park as first National Park in Africa is facing several threats despite the efforts from rangers and conservationist to protect its resources.

One of its resources is African elephant (Loxodonta africana) inhabiting different ecosystems of the park from the forested areas to the savanna areas.

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Elephants in Virunga have been killed in Virunga for the trophy. Due to the occupancy of the park by armed groups, elephants have moved to areas closed to ranger posts with limited movement. Once they want to move, they are killed and forced to stay in limited area.

In order to protect them from this daily threats, rangers have been trying to plan for daily patrols and observations. Three groups of rangers have been monitoring about 300 elephants in Kabaraza ranger station with limited food ration and basic field equipment.

Source: Wildlifedirect