Four rare mountain gorillas were shot and killed at Congo's Virunga National Park, bringing the number of gorillas killed in the park to seven in the last seven months.
The dead animals included an alpha-male silverback, which endangers the others in the 12-gorilla group because the alpha male leads the group to food and protects them from danger. Six other animals in the group are safe, but a female and an infant are missing, said a spokesperson for the International Gorilla Conservation Program.
"For such a small population, the unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of four mountain gorillas is a huge loss," the IGCP said in a statement.
"Seven gorillas killed in seven months is a horrifying statistic and a trend that cannot continue," World Wildlife Fund regional representative Dr. Kwame Koranteng said.
Only an estimated 700 mountain gorillas remain. None exist in captivity.
Officials with the International Gorilla Conservation Program said it was unclear who shot the three females and one male, or why they were killed.
Residents heard gunshots Sunday night and alerted park rangers, who discovered the dead gorillas the following morning.
The gorillas belonged to the Rugendo group living in an area popular with tourists, providing valuable financial support to locals.
Patrols were increased in that part of the park with support from the Congolese army. Guard posts were being built to provide 24-hour surveillance.
Earlier this year, two silverback males were shot to death in the same area of the park. They were believed to have been killed by supporters of dissident warlord Laurent Nkunda. The skin of one of the gorillas was found at a latrine in a nearby rebel camp.
In May, a female gorilla was shot dead in the park. Her orphan baby is being raised by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature in Goma.
The IGCP was formed in 1991. It is a partnership between the WWF, Fauna & Flora International, and the African Wildlife Foundation that conserves mountain gorillas and their forest habitat.
From the Associated Press reports
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
