Adrien Deschryver

Adrien Deschryver ((1939-05-11)May 11, 1939 — (1989-03-23)March 23, 1989) was a Belgian photographer and conservationist, who established and was chief warden of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border in 1970,[3] and acted to maintain law and order within the park during a civil war around Bukavu.[4]

Adrien Deschryver
Born(1939-05-11)May 11, 1939[1]
Bruges, Belgium[2]
DiedMarch 23, 1989(1989-03-23) (aged 49)
Occupation(s)Conservationist, photographer
SpouseAgnes Bujiriri M'Rwankuba

Work in Africa

Early work with Gorillas

In the 1960s, Deschryver and Dian Fossey gained much prominence in their approach of two subspecies of gorillas in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The former had started approaching gorillas during the mid-1960s for tourism, accompanied by two trackers of the Pygmy tribe, Pili Pili Purusi and Mishebere Patrice.[5][6]

Creation and work in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park

In 1970, Deschryver convinced the recently-created Congolese administration of the need for an extended protected natural reserve in the region, the hunting of gorillas having reduced their population to a critical level.[7] This led to the creation that year of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

The 1974 documentary Gorilla showed Deschryver bringing an abandoned baby gorilla into the forest to help it adjust to its natural habitat. The baby gorilla began to scream when it heard other gorillas, and was subsequently snatched from Deschryver by the dominant silverback. The silverback attempted to either attack or intimidate Deschryver, but ultimately backed away when Deschryver did not move or flinch. The clip of Deschryver resisting the silverback's charge has since gone viral, with memes concerning Deschryver's courageousness. Others have noted that the clip shows how demeanor and fearlessness can establish dominance over size and strength.[8] Dian Fossey criticized Deschryver for this action and for simply running away afterwards. She claimed that the baby gorilla was never seen again.[9]

Deschryver died in unclear circumstances, possibly through poisoning,[4][10] and is buried at the Tshivanga headquarters.[11]

Conservation campaign against the Batwa

Deschryver was reported by some to have returned to the forest alongside guards and soldiers in the mid-1970s to remove Batwa out of their villages, which were burned to the ground or otherwise destroyed.[12]

References
  1. "Kahuzi Biega National Park Homepage". Kahuzi Biega National Park. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  2. "Personal data Adrien Deschryver". Genealogie Online. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  3. "Kahuzi Biega National Park". Mammoth Safaris. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  4. Weber, Bill; Weber, William; Vedder, Amy (2002-12-03). In the Kingdom of Gorillas: The Quest to Save Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-0007-3.
  5. The Wandering Gorillas. New Scientist. 14 June 1979. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  6. "The Story of Two Pioneers in the Habituation of Eastern Gorillas". Berggorilla and Regenwald. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  7. Klawitter, Nils (2017-11-01). "Killing in Park in Congo Raises Questions About Conservation". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  8. "Why Photographing Gorillas in the Wild Takes a Huge Amount of Guts". PetaPixel. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  9. Fowler, John. A Forest in the Clouds: My Year Among the Mountain Gorillas in the Remote Enclave of Dian Fossey. Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1643131412.
  10. Newman, James L. (2013-07-05). Encountering Gorillas: A Chronicle of Discovery, Exploitation, Understanding, and Survival. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-1957-1.
  11. "The Story of Two Pioneers in the Habituation of Eastern Gorillas". Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe e.V. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  12. "DRC's indigenous Batwa being wiped out in the name of conservation: NGO". RFI. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
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