CNN Heroes: AWF's Mountain Gorilla Biologist

"My name is Eugène Rutagarama and my work is to protect mountain gorillas."

CNN has launched a global initiative to showcase CNN Heroes, ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary deeds in areas ranging from the environment to civil rights. AWF's Eugène Rutagarama, Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), was featured as one of CNN's Heroes in the category "Defending the Planet" in 2007.

Eugène's inspiring work to conserve the remaining mountain gorillas and their habitat attracted the attention of CNN, whose new series CNN Heroes airs on television and online at www.cnn.com/heroes.

For bravely protecting the mountain gorillas during the Rwandan genocide, Eugène received two prestigious awards: the Getty Prize for Wildlife Conservation in 1996 and the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2001. Eugène received a Charlotte Conservation Fellowship in 2002 to pursue a master’s degree in Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of East Anglia in the U.K.

In 2005, Eugène became the first African Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) - a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International and the World Wide Fund for Nature. He is internationally recognized for his mountain gorilla conservation efforts and undoubtedly a hero for the remaining mountain gorillas.

Visit www.cnn.com/heroes to watch the video of Eugène and the mountain gorillas.

Thanks to all of you who voted!
A big 'thank you' to everyone who voted for Eugène in the Viewer's Choice online vote.