Four poachers have been arrested for killing of a rare silverback gorilla in Nkuringo in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) report, the silverback gorilla known as Rafiki was killed by a poacher with a spear. Rafiki has been popular with tourists for decades who go on gorilla safaris in Uganda. Rafiki is believed to have lived 25 years of age as a leader of Nkuringo gorilla family.
The Ugandan Wildlife Authority reported that Rafiki gorilla got missing on June 1 and the next day the rangers found Rafiki’s body. The ugly news from the forest shocked the tourism industry for losing the famous beringei beringei the leader of 17 habituated gorillas in the Nkuringo Family.
Despite the fact that tourism has been affected by coronavirus, it has been confirmed by the organization that poaching has increased in recent months where national parks have been on suspension.
According to the post-mortem report that was made by the Gorilla Doctors and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) showed that a sharp device or object had penetrated his abdomen and pierced his internal organs.
The authority imprisoned the poachers and one of them Byamukama Felix confessed of killing the gorilla in self-defense. He claimed the gorilla had charged at him while he and a colleague were hunting.
Felix not only defended himself but also pointed out his colleagues whom he had in the forest that is Bampabenda Evarist. Mr. Felix lives in Murole village in western part of Uganda and was found with several hunting devices, including a spear, rope snares, wire snares and a hunting bell for a dog collar with bush pig meats.
The authority reported that Mr. Felix mentioned Museveni Valence and Mubangizi Yonasi whom they were sharing bush pig with and were arrested on June7.
The Spokesperson of UWA reported that these four men were imprisoned for being found in possession of wildlife specimens, illegal entry into a protected area and killing an endangered species, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The last time a mountain gorilla died at the hands of humans was in 2011.