Happy 2012!

A healthy and happy 2012 to you all!

Trustees wish you all the best for 2012 and send sincere thanks for all your

help in 2011. Thanks also from carer Andre (below) and Ndeze

at the Senkwekwe Centre, Virunga National Park,

on behalf of all the rangers & mountain gorillas.

Photo courtesy of K Ford

3 fund raising events

Thanks to The Drax, Bere Regis,  The Lacemakers Fair, Havant and Chettle table top sale, G4G raised £345 in the run up to Xmas! Many thanks to all who helped us out on those days.

Recently, G4G has received two more great cameras, one from Catherine and another from Petr. The rangers will be receiving them some time early in 2012. Huge thanks to them both.

Many thanks to all who have helped G4G during 2011 and especially our monthly supporters, who help fund the ongoing costs of the Senkwekwe Centre where 4 orphan mountain gorillas (soon to be 5) are now cared for 24/7. Ndeze, Ndakasi, Maisha and Koboko (& soon Ihirwe) send their thanks…..

G4G trustees wish everyone a fabulous Christmas and a very healthy & happy 2012 – see you next year!

Enjoy!

Linda

 

Table top sale at Chettle – Sun 20th Nov

G4G will be at Chettle Village Hall with African gifts, T Shirts and canvas prints of the Virunga gorillas for sale this Sunday 20th November, 12 – 4pm.

The day before, we’ll be at Havant Leisure Centre for the annual Lace Makers Fair. If you’re into lace making this is certainly the place to be on Saturday where everything you could possibly need for your craft will be on sale plus exhibitions of work. G4G is very fortunate to be asked along every year as the only charity stall – the organisers are gorilla-mad!

With Friday night at The Drax, Bere Regis, we’ve certainly got a busy weekend! Watch out for how it all went next week……

Cameras Flown to Virunga

Two cameras kindly donated for the rangers have been flown out to DR Congo.  Philippa, who keeps in contact with G4G, flew out to Virunga on 31st October and took the cameras with her – thanks Philippa and the two generous donors! Another fab camera and video (Mustek) just arrived safely with G4G, from another anonymous donor. That will go out as soon as we can find the next ‘friend’ visiting DR Congo!

See a previous post detailing what the rangers need by way of cameras/video and if you can sp one you’ve perhaps replaced, please do send them to us!

Many thanks for the donations so far – the rangers will be pleased as punch to receive them.

G4G trustees

Music Night at The Drax, Bere Regis

The Lizzards are a great 4 piece classic rock band, playing at The Drax on Friday November 18th from 9pm onwards.

Don’t miss this amazingly good band plus help raise funds for the pedal powered cinema with ferret racing, a raffle and gifts available.

Free entry and plenty to see, hear & do throughout the evening!

Venue: The Drax, West St, Bere Regis, BH20 7HH

Enquiries: linda@g4g.co.uk / 07801 531205 OR mail@thedraxarms.co.uk / 01929 471383

 

Fun Dog Show Success

A very busy Fun Dog Show on Saturday Sept 17th raised a wonderful £169 for G4G! Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester, had arranged a whole day of doggy training, displays, scurry, pedigree show and our own fun classes. Thanks to Amanda, Kim and Graeme for giving up their Saturday – these things don’t happen without you.

Amongst others, classes like ‘waggiest tail’, ‘dog most like it’s owner’ and the ever popular ‘musical mats’ brought a whole range of dogs into the ring. A big ‘Thank You’ to our volunteer judge too, Sharon, who had the worst job of all, picking out the winners. Thanks also to Scats for all the donated doggy bags that kept many a pooch happy…..

 

Virunga rangers need digital cameras and camcorders…..

Upgraded your digital camera lately? Do you have a camcorder sitting in a drawer unlikely to be used? If ‘yes’ to either of those questions, please do consider donating those unwanted or unused items….

The rangers of Virunga need digital camcorders and cameras to record the gorillas of the Mikeno sector along with other wildlife.  Photographs or even video of poaching activities, charcoal burning and other illegal activities would also be enormously helpful.  It does not matter which make or model it is, so if you think you could donate an item, please bear the following in mind.

It must:

• be digital
• be fully working
• be able to be charged ie battery must be good
• include the charger!
• include the connection lead between camera and PC

If you have a camera or camcorder you’d like to donate to the rangers, please send it to: G4G, 87, Chapel Farm Cottage, Gussage St Andrew, Blandford, Dorset, DT11 8DL

G4G would be very grateful if you could consider the postage as part of your donation, however if that is prohibitive for you, or there are multiple items to post, conact: linda@g4g.co.uk

Many thanks in advance!! Last time we held this appeal, the rangers were kitted out in months. Between us, we’ll get the rangers ‘geared up’ for photos and videos once again…..

Linda Nunn

Chair, G4G

Another Mtn Gorilla baby confiscated

On the 7th August, Rwandan police arrested Congolese and Rwandan men trying to smuggle an 8mth old mountain gorilla baby across the DRC border into Rwanda. Dr Jan Ramer of the Mountain Gorilla veterinary Project says: “He will go through a 30 day quarantine period, and hopefully will return to DR Congo at Virunga National Park’s Senkwekwe Center where he can join orphan gorillas Maisha, Kaboko, Ndeze and Ndakasi. We are cautiously optimistic for this little guy – he is tense, but accepting of people, and is eating. All good signs for his eventual recovery.”

It is not yet known if the baby is from one of the habituated groups in Virunga or a wild group. It goes to show the pressure the rangers are under trying to protect the gorillas with men obviously still trespassing into the National Park to poach youngsters. Eleven rangers have been killed this year in Virunga National Park……..

Fingers crossed for this latest little gorilla.

£1,500 Animal Friends Insurance donation!

Animal Friends Insurance (AFI) have donatde another wonderful £1,500 to G4G! On Facebook, AFI have ‘Feel Good Park’ – where you can vote each month for your favourite charity of 4 that are listed. Dependent on the number of votes, the charities share the AFI monthly donation. G4G polled the second highest number of votes during July, hence the fab £1,500!

 

Huge thanks AFI – much appreciated. This will go towards funding the 2 environmental education staff for Virunga National Park. AFI have already generously spent £4,000 on a pedal powered cinema for Virunga. This will be used to show conservation films around the Park in remote communities where there is no electricity. The cinema will be delivered to Virunga this autumn/winter and G4G hopes to have sufficient funds by then to pay for the two staff to take the cinema out to the many schools and communites.

Thank you AFI from all at G4G and Virunga National Park!

Mastaki loses his fight for life

The ranger, Mastaki, who was critically wounded in another militia attack, died in the early hours of 3rd February. He had been flown to Goma to the Heal Africa hospital whre they tried in vain to save him from his terrible injuries.

Mastaki looked after the National Park office in Goma that G4G trustees have visited on several occasions. Emmanuel had taught him to drive, as he wanted to be more involved in patrols around the Park. Emmanuel says he was a gentle, soft spoken, dedicated man who wanted to play his part protecting the wildlife of Virunga. This has ultimately cost him his life. He leaves a widow and 4 month old baby.