Gorilla protector shot in DR Congo

 Environmentalists around the world condemned onWednesday the shooting of a Belgian conservationist who has struggled to protectAfrica's mountain gorillas in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Emmanuel de Merode, director of the Virunga National Park in the DR Congo's warscarred North Kivu province, was attacked on Tuesday as he travelled alone by jeepfrom the regional capital Goma to a nearby nature conservation centre."This is the first time the director de Merode has been directly attacked. We don't yetknow the motive for this attack," Norbert Mushenzi, the director's assistant, toldAFP.A Belgian lawmaker said de Merode was attacked after filing a report into theactions of a British oil company, SOCO International, which had sought to prospectin an area overlapping the park."Mr de Merode had just filed a report with the public prosecutor in Gomacomprising the results of months -- even years -- of investigation into SOCOInternational," Francois-Xavier de Donnea told La Libre Belgique newspaper.In 2010 SOCO International won a government contract to jointly prospect for oil ona concession overlapping the park's territory, but Kinshasa later suspended thepermit under international pressure. De Merode, who is around 40, was reportedly rescued by an army patrol and rushedto the Heal Africa hospital in Goma where he underwent surgery to remove bullets."He was shot in the stomach and the thorax. He had surgery and is still in intensivecare, and according to the surgeon, so far there is hope," hospital spokesmanFerdinand Mugisho told AFP.North Kivu province has been ravaged by successive conflicts for more than 20year- 'Dedicated conservationist' -The reserve, which covers 800,000 hectares (two million acres) of land on the borderwith Uganda and Rwanda, has attained worldwide renown for its rare andendangered mountain gorillas.The attackers did not steal anything from de Merode.A group of North Kivu environmentalists condemned the attack, which they said was aimed at "discouraging community development and conservation efforts".The provincial governor of North Kivu, where Goma is located, visited de Merode inhospital on Wednesday."He is lucid, he is talking, and he thanked the army for rescuing him, as well as thedoctors who saved him," Julien Paluku told AFP.Created in 1925 in the far east of what was then the Belgian Congo, the Virungapark has been declared an "endangered" part of the global heritage by UNESCO.Poachers and logging teams have damaged the reserve, as elsewhere in Africa, butthe park is also criss-crossed by rival armed groups and soldiers, while local peoplehave taken up illegal residence. The quest for oil is the latest threat to Africa's most venerable wildlife reserve.WWF head of conservation Lasse Gustavsson said de Merode was a "dedicatedconservationist" who put his life on the line every day to protect the park and thepeople who depended on it for their livelihoods."I know how much Emmanuel loves this park. He continues to be a source ofinspiration to those around him and I wish him a swift recovery.