Gorilla Murder Mystery
"Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas?" by writer Mark Jenkins and photographer Brent Stirton in the July edition of National Geographic is a fascinating tale of intrigue set in the majestic mountains of central Africa. While tracking down the killers of seven gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they explore the impact of war, poverty, greed, and environmental destruction on these rare and beautiful creatures. To capture the story, Stirton and Jenkins endured conditions few journalists encounter. Here Jenkins describes what happens after a rebel commander accused of war crimes, Laurent Nkunda, invites them to visit a family of gorillas:
The next morning we decide to test Nkunda's offer. Apparently, neither he nor his commanders thought we would go to the trouble, for they fail to tell us they have mined the road to Bukima. Alone and on foot, Brent and I set out across no-man's-land along the ominously empty road before finally being warned. And despite satellite-phone calls to Nkunda's commanders, we wind up walking right into the barrels of his frontline soldiers, none of whom has been told who we are or what we're doing there. Luckily we are captured rather than killed by the rebels, and that night we share warm milk straight from the cow in a smoky dirt bunker and fall asleep to the surreal sound of soldiers singing a cappella in camouflaged trenches.
The story comes with a video and Stirton's amazing photos of the gorillas and the local people. A tip of the hat to Investigative Reporters & Editors for publicizing this story. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/virunga/jenkins-text/1
For another great magazine story about Africa, check out Richard Behar's special report "China in Africa" in Fast Company. As Behar puts it, "The sub-Sahara is now the scene of one of the most bare-knuckled resource grabs the world has ever seen." www.fastcompany.com/magazine/126/special-report-china-in-africa.html