Rebels loyal to warlord Laurent Nkunda have frequently battled over the park in their clashes with the army. Caught in the cross fire are the rare gorillas, 10 of which have been killed this year.
"This is a human conflict that is involving the mountain gorillas. They are not a target, but can so easily get caught in cross fire and shelling," said Emmanuel de Merode, the director of the international conservation group WildlifeDirect.
"We still cannot protect our gorillas. This conflict has no place in the park, least of all in the habitat of these animals. We hope they will be unharmed," said Norbert Mushenzi, director of the southern section of the park for the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature.
The area containing the mountain gorillas was also attacked in January, when two silverbacks were killed. Four months ago, the dead body of a female gorilla was found. Conservationists say she was killed execution style.
International wildlife groups concerned about the welfare of the gorillas are funding a $100,000-crisis management program to increase the number of rangers patrolling the habitat.
"This appalling security situation is making it virtually impossible to implement the emergency program. There is a lot that we need to be doing, and we simply can't," said Lucy Fauveau of the London Zoological Society.
Virunga National Park, established in 1925 as Africa's first national park, is in a lawless region of eastern Congo that the country's government has struggled to bring under control for years.
