This is awful news for gorilla conservation. The civil war raging in Congo has been terrible for Virunga National Park, but now rebels have taken over its headquarters.
The rebels also seized the headquarters of Virunga National Park in eastern Congo after intense fighting with the Congolese army, according to a statement by park officials.
The rebels have used Virunga Park as a base but have never seized its headquarters before.
The 3,000 square mile (7,800 square kilometer) park has a gorilla facility and is home to 200 of the 700 endangered mountain gorillas in existence.
“Over 50 rangers were forced to flee into the forests and abandon the park station, in fear of their lives,” the park statement said.
