The Virungas

In the heart of Africa lie eight giant volcanoes, six of them dormant, two of them still spill fire and fury. Covered in thick rainforest, the Virunga Mountains are the home of the mountain gorillas as well as chimpanzees, elephants, buffalos and many other creatures. But unfortunately for them the slopes of the Virunga’s are among the most fertile in Africa and the surrounding region is also rich in natural and mineral resources. This, combined with a huge human population and the mountains forming the border between three often volatile nations, means that the Virunga Mountains are a place of huge unpredictability and instability. I spent a part of January and February 2018 in the Virunga’s finding out about gorillas and exploding volcanoes, rebel armies, conservation refugees, murdered rangers, and people who, in their own words, are "ready to die defending the Virunga’s".