Hi, Park enthusiasts.

I'm your host, Dylia DeAmbra, and the story I have for you today is probably the biggest

and longest spanning tale of predatory behavior I've ever heard about in a national park.

It takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Varunga National Park.

The story is complicated because there isn't just one perpetrator or isolated crime.

This tale includes uncountable crimes, everything from murder, animal coaching, terrorism,

bribery, and illegal resource mining.

It's definitely a doozy, and the reason I wanted to cover it as the last episode of

this season is because I think it's important that I use the platform this show has gained

to feature cases in other countries.

Countries that admire and cherish their national parks just as much as residents of North

America do, but who face obstacles and challenges far beyond what those of us in the US or Canada

can even imagine.

The first thing you need to know about the DRC is that according to BBC News Monitoring,

it has a population of nearly 90 million people and is considered the most natural resource-rich

country in the world.

The United Nations has recognized DRC as the main home for vast deposits of diamonds,

gold, copper, tin, lead, coal, oil, and other precious metals.

Every year, billions of dollars worth of natural resources are mined in this country, and

they're exported across the globe.

But what's wild is that despite all that money being made, most of the people living in

the DRC are among the poorest on the planet.

...