For the second time this year, there’s been a violent attack on a protector of Africa’s oldest wildlife park, Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  A ranger who confronted suspected poachers is recovering after being attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Shrapnel damaged one of Ranger Muhindo Kipasula’s eyes, and he suffered a concussion that may permanently damage his hearing.  Red Cross doctors are caring for Kipasula in the eastern Congolese city of Goma.

Four months ago, the Director of Virunga National Park in the eastern DRC, Emmanuel de Merode, was shot several times in the legs and stomach after he presented sensitive information about the harmful effects of oil exploration at Virunga to a Congolese prosecutor.  De Merode has since recovered and his back on the job.

Virunga is a beautiful and dangerous place.  It’s home to 200 of the world’s few remaining endangered Mountain Gorillas, about a quarter of the world’s wild population.  But it’s also plagued by poachers and armed militias that illegally log the park for rare tropical hardwoods.

More than 130 park rangers have been killed in Virunga since 1996.