Another endangered mountain gorilla killed

Another endangered mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei beringei), died in a crossfire in the forested Virunga volcanoes which straddle the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and eastern DRC, a statement from the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) said. AWF quoted the director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), Annette Lanjouw as saying that, Rugendo [the dead gorilla], was shot dead during clashes between the military and Interahamwe militia groups on 15 July. It was the dominant male silverback of one of the groups on the Congolese side of the border. “The loss of Rugendo is another tragedy for conservation for the efforts being made in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda to protect the gorillas from the consequences of the war, and to protect this endangered species for the future,” Lanjouw said. “Personally, the loss of Rugendo is a double tragedy as he was the first gorilla I ever saw in the wild, leading his own family as a young silverback,” she noted. Lanjouw said that Rugendo had been habituated since 1986 and had, over the years, allowed hundreds of tourists to visit him and approach his family. “He had learned to trust people and to accept their presence near his small family. Last week he found himself too close to the fighting and I do not believe his death was intentional,” Lanjouw said. “But it is a sign of how difficult it is to keep the war and the conflict away from the forests and the gorillas,” Lanjouw added. An IGCP programme officer in Congo, Mbake Sivha, said that Rugendo was shot about 40 metres from the park boundary and as he was killed in the evening, it was not until the next morning that his body was found and an identification could be made. “Although Sekwekwe has taken over leadership, the group is still very nervous and he will not allow the guards to come too close,” Sivha said. “It will take time before the family will allow the guards to monitor them ac closely as they did in the past,” she added. The Virunga region is home for one of the two remaining populations of the endangered mountain gorillas; the other population resides in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the statement noted. Together, these two groups represent a world population of mountain gorillas of just over 650 individuals.