Mountain gorilla killed: poacher sentenced to eleven years in prison
In Uganda, a man has been sentenced to eleven years in prison for killing a mountain gorilla and other wildlife on 30 July 2020.
It was only in 2018 that the mountain gorilla population had recovered sufficiently to be removed from the list of «critically endangered» species. In Uganda, a man kills a mountain gorilla and other wildlife – a court sentences him for it. His explanation apparently falls on deaf ears.
In Uganda, a hunter and poacher has been sentenced to eleven years in prison for killing a mountain gorilla and other wildlife. Felix Byamukama had admitted to killing the roughly 25-year-old, beloved silverback gorilla Rafiki last month while hunting in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. According to the Ugandan wildlife authority, the convicted man claimed to have acted in self-defence.
«We are relieved that Rafiki has received justice, and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife», said the head of the wildlife authority, Sam Mwandha. Rafiki – whose name translates as «friend» – led a family of 17 gorillas. After Rafiki was found dead, four suspects came under scrutiny from investigators.
Byamukama, who was apparently not even permitted to be in the protected area, claimed that Rafiki had attacked him and that he had been forced to defend himself. He was also said to have had the meat of two animals he had killed – an antelope and a bushpig – in his possession. According to media reports, poaching is said to have increased during the coronavirus pandemic. In many cases, it is not about trading in the animals, but about their meat.
The wildlife protection authority described the killing of Rafiki as a «serious blow», after intensive conservation efforts had led to the mountain gorilla being removed from the list of «critically endangered» animals in 2018. The gorilla population had recently recovered from around 680 individuals in 2008 to over 1,000. The life expectancy of these animals in the wild is approximately 35 years.
The habitat of the mountain gorilla is limited to protected areas covering nearly 800 square kilometres at two locations – the Virunga Massif and Bwindi-Sarambwe – which span the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
