In the heart of Virunga National Park, one of the most biologically rich places on Earth, wild animals are fighting for their lives. Local responders urgently need an animal ambulance to reach them in time.

Caption: Warning: Graphic footage. In Masisi, near Virunga National Park, cows are being killed amid armed conflict, hunger, theft, and ethnic retaliation. Our partners report this violence is tragically common, leaving animals and their guardians in urgent need of protection and emergency rescue.

In this war-torn region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ongoing conflict has created a humanitarian and animal protection crisis. Our partners are working to reach injured and displaced animals, but without reliable transportation, their ability to respond is dangerously limited. 

An animal ambulance would allow teams to reach animals faster, deliver critical veterinary care, and transport them to safety. Right now, that lifeline does not exist.

The situation for wild animals is especially dire. Hippopotamuses and Nile crocodiles are being slaughtered mercilessly. Armed groups and trafficking networks have taken advantage of instability, turning protected areas into killing zones. Hippos are shot and hacked apart for meat and their ivory teeth, while crocodiles are killed for their skins or slaughtered amid the chaos.

On May 4, members of the armed group M23 reportedly fired indiscriminately at a moving herd of elephants on the shores of Lake Edward in Virunga National Park, killing one elephant and likely injuring others. This violence shows how armed conflict in and around protected areas threatens animals, biodiversity, ecotourism, and fragile peace across the Great Lakes region. Elephants, birds, and mountain gorillas regularly move between Virunga National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, making cross-border safety essential to their survival and to the conservation efforts protecting them.

Our partners on the ground, including the Innovation pour le Développement et la Protection de l’Environnement (IDPE), are working in extraordinarily dangerous conditions to save animals caught in the crossfire. During a recent field mission, their team was detained for hours by an armed group and robbed of critical equipment and documentation. Despite these risks, they continue their work of rescuing animals trapped in abandoned areas, providing emergency veterinary care, and monitoring conditions in conflict zones.

At the same time, conditions are worsening for all animals in the region. Farmed and companion animals who are already vulnerable due to displacement and poverty are facing severe food shortages, while a lack of veterinary supplies like vaccines, antiparasitics, and surgical tools is turning treatable conditions into fatal ones. Thousands of animals are now without protection in a region where survival is already uncertain.

Take action for animals in Virunga by calling on the government to enforce protections, and by donating to help us fund a lifesaving animal ambulance. Together, we can support those risking everything on the ground and give these animals a chance to survive.