If you’re like me, you might be getting sick of the constant selfies that everyone seems to be taking and posting. But every once in a while, you see a selfie that’s actually worth it.
Luckily, these rangers at Virunga National Park were able to do just that.
Rangers at Virunga National Park in Congo were able to get these gorillas to pose for some uncanny selfies. The photo has now went viral among anti-poaching groups and it shows one of the rangers literally posing with two gorillas who live in the Virunga National Park. They captioned it on their Facebook page with “Another day in the office.”
The park is a UNESCO world heritage site that is protected by over 600 park rangers. Gorillas are poached for reasons such as medicine, food and trade. These 600 rangers fight to protect these poor animals. Mountain gorillas were on the brink of extinction because of the twin threats of poaching and habitat destruction.
Every single park ranger must undergo intense training since their incredibly dangerous job aims to protect the park’s outstanding wildlife.
Around one-third of the world’s population of critically endangered mountain gorillas live in Virunga National Park. The park is one of the world’s most biodiverse protected areas in the world and is home to 218 mammal, 706 bird, 109 reptile, 78 amphibian and 22 primate species.
Around 1/3 of the world’s population of critically endangered mountain gorillas live in the park. The two gorillas in the photo were orphaned by poachers and are raised in a specialist unit at the park’s headquarters because they may struggle to survive independently, meaning they are used to human contact.
Rangers fight every day in order to keep the area safe, in total, 179 rangers have lost their lives while protecting these animals. /Source: buzznicked