A ranger in Virunga national park has a 44% chance of suffering a violent death during their career, the highest rate of service deaths for any national park in the world. These are all resources associated with Virunga national park and coveted by 12 of the most violent armed militias who reside in or around the park. A defining characteristic of Congo’s rangers has been their persistence in protecting civilians as well as the park’s remarkable wildlife. More recently, the rangers’ efforts have led abductions to drop from around 18 a month to none in the past two months. Over the years, a ranger’s responsibility – they are required to uphold the law across Congo’s vast wilderness areas – has stretched them beyond the traditional function of protecting wildlife.

Source: The Guardian May 07, 2016 17:33 UTC