A park famed for rare gorillas gears up to fight Ebola and protect its primates

Article excerpt

Virunga National Park, home to nearly half the world's endangered mountain gorillas, is mobilizing rangers to combat a surging Ebola outbreak while navigating an intensifying conflict that threatens both conservation efforts and the disease response. The park's rangers operate on a dangerous front line, tasked with containing the virus among the gorilla population and monitoring human cases, all while dealing with armed groups and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The dual crisis tests the park's capacity to protect its most celebrated residents and maintain critical disease surveillance in a region where instability compounds public health challenges.