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2008 Visa d'or Feature: Brent Stirton. Conservation Rangers from an Anti-Poaching unit work with locals to evacuate the bodies of four Mountain Gorrillas killed in mysterious circumstances in the park, July 24, 2007, Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo. A Silver-Back Alpha male, the leader of the group was shot, three females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and the other was pregnant. The two babies were not found and it is thought that they will have died of stress and dehydration. The motivation for the killing is not known but it is suspected that there are political motivations. The local illegal Charcoal industry clashes with conservation efforts in this very poor area and Rangers have been threatened, tortured and killed as a result of this clash of political and economic wills. Over 100 Rangers have been killed in their efforts to protect the Gorrillas of Virunga, one of the world's most endangered species. The Congolese Rangers in this particular group are working with Wildlife Direct, a Conservation organisation. The Rangers receive a salary based on donations to Wildlife Direct and perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the world of wildlife conservation. The DRC has the highest toll of human casualties of any country since the second world war, a figure in the region of 4.6 million dead as a result of war and resultant displacement, disease, starvation and ongoing militia violence. “A small miracle occurs every night in Perpignan: Jean-François seduces us back into feeling pride and common purpose through the greatest slideshow on earth. We sit there enraptured; when the work is magnificent, we are moved, uplifted and re-energized. Jean-François has found a way of holding up a mirror to the best in us and through that mirror we remember who we are and why we love this profession. Our petty jealousies, our swelling egos, our insecurities – all of these are laid low and we are elevated to an enlightened appreciation of each other. After the shows, this feeling permeates our conversations. We remember that there are extraordinary people amongst us and that we are fortunate to have such role models and to have the possibility of being necessary in the world. Jean-François and his team make that possible every year in their own imitable style; we should all be very grateful”. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Exclusive by Getty Images)
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