Eugène Rutagarama

Director, International Gorilla Conservation Program
Rwanda

 

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

Persecuted during Rwanda’s genocide, Eugène 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, 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 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 May, Eugène was selected as a CNN Hero for Defending the Planet. Eugène 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 Eugène is doing with IGCP to safeguard the mountain gorillas.