Kasugho GorillasAn orphaned gorilla rests at the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International compound in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after being rescued from poachers. A total of four baby gorillas were airlifted to the sanctuary as part of United Nations peacekeeping mission on May 27, 2010.
The gorillas in the Virunga Mountain region are a focal point for the UN's 2010 World Environment Day (WED).
Since 1972, the UN has set aside June 5 to raise awareness of global environmental issues.
This year’s WED theme is “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” The program spotlights how human activities are altering ecosystems by clear-cutting forests, draining wetlands, and changing Earth’s climate. The UN estimates that such activities are causing species to go extinct at perhaps 1,000 times the natural rate.
Mountain gorillas are an example of Africa’s incredible biodiversity—and they run up against the extreme challenges many species around the world face. Only about 700 mountain gorillas still live in the wilds of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, due to human encroachment, poaching, disease, and habitat loss.
—Brian Handwerk
Photograph by Tim Freccia, United Nations Environment Programme
