|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOUR GORILLAS EXECUTED IN DR CONGO NAIROBI, KENYA, July 26, 2007 --/WORLD-WIRE/--Four highly endangered mountain gorillas have been shot and killed in the Mikeno sector of Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is not yet clear who is behind this killing. It is known that the four gorillas killed were part of the Rugendo Group, one of the gorilla groups habituated for visitation by tourists in DR Congo. Below are the names of the gorilla members that are confirmed killed:
This leaves only 6 of the original 12 members of Rugendo Group accounted for. Bodies of the four gorillas were carried to Rumangabo Park headquarters for burial after a post-mortem. The post-mortem report is being compiled, but preliminary results confirm that all the four gorillas were killed by bullets. Authorities do not know why the gorillas were killed. It appears that no body parts were taken. The killings seem to have been done execution style. The International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) is presently engaged in emergency talks with wildlife authorities and conservation groups in Goma to coordinate and support conservation efforts. Efforts are already underway to intensify patrols within the park, to solicit support of the national army to provide security to the ICCN rangers, and to seek political support from the Provincial Governor. These security initiatives will focus on all the habituated gorilla groups in the Mikeno Sector. The International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) is a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Fauna and Flora International and World Wide Fund for Nature. These killings are a devastating blow to the entire population of mountain gorillas, which is estimated to be less than 720 individuals. The deaths of these four gorillas, along with the two gorillas killed earlier in January by rebel insurgents, and one female killed last month, brings the death toll to seven gorillas this year. These losses are cause for deep concern. USA Contact: Paul Thomson 202-939-3321 pthomson@awf.org Kenya Contact: Elodie Sampere +254 0727 341 612 esampere@awfke.org |