By Kudra Maliro
Years of armed conflict between security forces and rebels as well as activities of poachers had forced many elephants to flee from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Queen Elizabeth Park in neighbouring Uganda.
Rebels had occupied habitants of the animals leaving them with no option but to flee. Now there is good news for the wildlife more than one thousand elephants returning to the park in DRC, conservationists say.
This follows joint military operations launched in 2021 against the ADF and other armed rebel groups in North Kivu and in Ituri provinces forcing the armed groups vacate the forests.
The authorities noticed the return of the elephants earlier this week "More than 1,000 elephants are currently visible in the park, coming from different refuge environments,'' said Merdy Baraka, communicator for the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN).
"The return of the large herds of elephants to Virunga is the result of decades of extraordinary efforts by the park's Congolese eco-guards," says Emmanuel De Merode, director of Virunga National Park in a statement sent to TRT Afrika.
Some 1,700 Ugandan troops have been deployed in North Kivu and Ituri. Together with the FARDC, they are tracking down armed groups. The two armies have already recaptured control of several rebel strongholds in the Virunga National Park.
"I call on everyone to join the eco-guards in protecting the flora and fauna, by denouncing anyone poaching in the park... It's good that we can all unite to protect the fauna and flora," Baraka says.
This development has gladdened the hearts of conservationists beyond the shores of DRC.
It is pleasing to see that ''these elephants felt safe in Virunga National Park for the time being,'' Phillip Muruthi, Vice President in charge of species and conservation science at the African Wildlife Foundation, tells TRT Afrika.
"Our goal is to see all African parks inundated with elephants, because it's their safety that comes first for us despite the borders between parks. We also coordinate anti-poaching teams to secure corridors so that elephants can move around safely," adds Mr. Muruthi.
In the 1950s, around 8,000 savanna elephants roamed the Virunga plains. But poaching, illegal farming and ongoing-armed conflicts have led to a decline in the population in and around the national park since the 1990s.
"Herds bring benefits beyond the limits of human intervention, rapidly regenerating and transforming overgrown savannah into grassland, attracting smaller herbivores, attracting tourists and providing new economic opportunities for local people," adds Mr. De Merode.
The Congolese population welcomed this news with great joy at seeing their wildlife return to Virunga National Park.
"We would like the return of the elephants to attract many tourists. The government must continue to hunt down the rebel groups hiding in Virunga National Park, so that the animals who have taken refuge can return," says John Matemuli, a resident of Beni near the Virunga National Park.
"Our wish is that these elephants feel at home either in the DRC or in Uganda," concludes Mr. Muruthi.
