At least nine gorillas are known to have been killed in Virunga National Park last year.
He is now believed to be hiding with troops loyal to him in Virunga National Park.
As a result, the Virunga gorillas' future looks brighter now than it has for many years.
ECONOMIST: The number of mountain gorillas appears to be rising
War and poaching reduced the Virunga population to a low of about 260 in the late 1970s.
ECONOMIST: The number of mountain gorillas appears to be rising
Deforestation and habitat loss in Virunga because of illegal charcoal production continue to threaten key gorilla habitat.
According to the census, the number of gorillas in the Virunga mountains, which those countries share, has risen by 17% since 1989.
ECONOMIST: The number of mountain gorillas appears to be rising
The Virunga National Park, a World Heritage site has eight volcanoes that spread across the Virunga mountain range, but only two are currently active.
"We certainly need the money, " says Ephraim Balole, who works with Congolese soldiers trying to guard the giant Virunga National Park to the north of Goma.
The spectacle tourists have come to witness, though, is a natural one: that of Mount Nyamulagira, in Virunga National Park, which has been erupting since early November.
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Over the weekend the rebels, who say they are protecting the area's Tutsi minority, captured a major army camp at Rumangabo and the headquarters of Virunga national park.
The security threat in Virunga is real and constant - with 17 soldiers killed in the park this year and more than a 140 in the past decade.
The participants were unanimous in expressing their deep concern to the Congolese Government regarding the granting of a concession for oil exploration in an area of Virunga National Park.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to exceptional biodiversity and five World Heritage sites: the Garamba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and Virunga National Parks, as well as the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
The world's largest mountain gorilla population, thought to number fewer than 500 animals, is found in a mountainous region known as the Virungas, incorporating Uganda's Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Virunga National Park.
The five sites in danger include Virunga, Garamba, Kahuzi-Biega, and Salonga National Parks, and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, which are home to a unique range of flora and fauna including the Mountain Gorilla and the Okapi.
The world's largest mountain gorilla population, thought to number less than 500 animals, is found in a mountainous region known as the Virungas, incorporating Volcanoes, Uganda's Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The atrocious roads and the poor security mean that Virunga remains something of an acquired taste - most tourists are either adventurous backpackers tempted briefly over the border from Rwanda, or the very wealthy who come in by helicopter or private plane.
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