Thanks to conservation efforts, which LCA has helped support, mountain gorillas have been lifted from the edge of extinction and their population has now surpassed 1,000! In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) down-listed the mountain gorilla from "critically endangered" to "endangered" for the first time since 1994. The mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Volcanoes Massif, which combines Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bwindi’s Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

Due to political instability, poaching and illegal oil exploration, the Rangers in Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo risk their lives to protect the animals.  In the last 15 years, 220 Rangers in Congo’s Virunga National Park have tragically lost their lives while defending the Park. Watch the Netflix documentary, "Virunga", to understand the story of Virunga and the fight to save the gorillas.

From 2006 - 2016, LCA provided critical support to the Ugandan and Rwandan Wildlife Authorities in the protection of the endangered mountain gorillas. 

Beginning in 2016, LCA has been the major supporter of the AirWing program in Congo's Virunga National Park, providing support to the Rangers' anti-poaching efforts through an "eye in the sky" which is the backbone of the park and the best line of defense. Virunga extends over an area measuring over 3,000 square miles.  With a varied terrain and limited capacity to deploy Rangers to every corner of the Park on short notice, the park authority has stated the availability of a functional and modern AirWing provides the best possible tool to secure the Park, protect the Rangers, and reduce threats to Virunga’s wildlife populations, including the majestic mountain gorilla.

Click to learn more about equipment provided by LCA's Saving Mountain Gorillas campaign in Africa

Click to learn about the Fallen Rangers of Virunga National Park