Virunga National Park

Virunga National Park

October 22, 2011

Virunga National Park, originally known as Albert National Park, was founded in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium. This national park stretches from the Virunga Mountains in the south, to the Rwenzori Mountains in the north, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, bordering Volcanoes National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Virunga National Park was founded primarily to protect the gorillas living in the forests of the Virunga Mountains controlled by the Belgian Congo. With the help of Congolese rangers and wardens, activities such as poaching were kept to a minimum and sustained while tourism began to flourish. Despite their efforts to preserve the life forms of Virunga, there were still challenges in reducing fishing and hunting by the local population. Around 1960, the Belgians granted Congo its independence; however, with its new independence, the new state began to deteriorate and so did the park. In 1969, President Mobutu stepped up and took and interests in conserving Virunga National Park. In addition to the parks successful revival, the Congolese Wildlife Authority was established to continue conservation efforts. Over the years, the Virunga National Park continued to face several challenges in protecting the wildlife from poaching and armed militia, to increasing tourism, but despite the adversity, today, Virunga National Park is seeing growth in its wildlife and tourism with the dedication of rangers and staff and commitment to conservation of the national park.

Containing more bird, mammal, and reptile species than any protected area on the African continent, Virunga National Park is home to a diverse wheel of life forms. Animals that can be found in Virunga are mountain and low land gorillas, savanna and forest elephants, chimpanzees, Okapi giraffes, buffalos, hippopotamuses, and over 700 species of birdlife which include herons, ibisis, egrets, bitterns, duck, geese, darters,...