Even in bleak
years, conservationists
are bright spots. They
work to preserve wild
places, protect cultural
heritage sites, defend
threatened species.
In the Democratic
Republic of the Congo,
Virunga National Park
rangers pioneered
the care of orphaned
mountain gorillas. Pho-
tographer Brent Stirton
was there in 2007 when
ranger Andre Bauma
found an infant gorilla
clinging to her dead
mother. He named the
orphan Ndakasi—and
would be her lifelong
caregiver. The rangers
built, and still run, an
orphanage in Virunga
for the gorillas. Stirton
visited regularly. He
was there in September
when Ndakasi, dying
of an undiagnosed
illness, crawled into
Bauma’s arms.
VIA GETTY IMAGESSEPT. 2 1 A GORILLA AND HER RESCUER^
GORILLAS’ SOCIETY,
IT’S MORE HUMANE
THAN OURS.
IT’S CARING AND
ORDERED, AND
THEY LOOK AFTER
EVERYBODY IN
THEIR FAMILY.”
—Brent Stirton,
photographer
22