Male Grant's gazelles have developed several ritualized postures to determine dominance. If neither combatant is intimidated, they may confront one another and clash horns, trying to throw the other off-balance.

Eugène Rutagarama
Director, International Gorilla Conservation Program
Rwanda

 

Bio Photo

When war breaks out, who defends the wildlife? Luckily, Eugène Rutagarama is on their side.

Persecuted during Rwanda’s genocide, Rutagarama managed to flee to Burundi with his family in 1991. He returned as soon as safely possible, quickly rose through the ranks of Rwanda’s national park system, and was key to ensuring that mountain gorilla habitat was not overrun as Rwanda resettled more than two million people.

For bravely protecting the mountain gorillas during the genocide, Rutagarama received two prestigious awards: the Getty Prize for Wildlife Conservation in 1996 and the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2001. Rutagarama 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, Rutagarama became the first African Director of the AWF-supported International Gorilla Conservation Program. He is internationally recognized for his mountain gorilla conservation efforts and undoubtedly a hero for the remaining mountain gorillas.

In 2007, Rutagarama was selected as a CNN Hero for Defending the Planet. Rutagarama and other CNN Heroes are raising awareness of important issues and inspiring hundreds of thousands of viewers to reach out and support the world's heroes out there making a difference.

> Read about the crucial work Rutagarama is doing with IGCP to safeguard the mountain gorillas.