August 8.

Last week, at the request of the new Government, a disaster relief

team from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

travelled to Rwanda to assess the impact of the civil war on livestock

and wildlife, including the world-famous ''Gorillas in the Mist''. We

found that livestock had been totally devastated by the war and that the

Volcano Veterinary Centre, where the endangered mountain gorillas are

studied, had been completely vandalised.

Throughout the country our team was struck by the eerie absence of

cows, goats, or even poultry, normally found everywhere in African

countries. As food shortages grew, people had slaughtered what livestock

were left or taken them with them when they fled.

No food animals remained in Kigali, though, on the road from Goma in

Zaire, some of the returning refugees were leading goats, cows, and a

few sheep, probably the only remaining livestock in the country.

With no-one to harvest the ripening crops, this shortage will mean

continuing starvation and reliance on relief aid. It will also have a

devastating effect on wildlife, as the only food available will be

poached ''bush meat'', which may even threaten the mountain gorillas.

Gorilla tourism earns the country $6m to #8m a year in foreign

exchange and the new Environment Minister told WSPA he hoped the vet

centre could be reopened as soon as possible. WSPA will help restock and

rebuild the centre and will supply vaccines and drugs to prevent

outbreaks of disease in livestock.

Readers who would like to support WSPA's disaster relief work can

write to WSPA, 2 Langley Lane, London SW8 1TJ.

Hilary Cross,

WSPA Press Officer.