Posted on 22 June 2011
Three men have been arrested
for killing a critically endangered mountain
gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park, according to Ugandan officials.
The male gorilla was
discovered dead by Uganda Wildlife Authority
trackers on June 17. Officials say the gorilla
was speared through the neck and shoulder
by the suspects who encountered it in the
park while illegally poaching antelopes.
Authorities believe an altercation may have
occurred between the gorilla and the poachers’
hunting dogs.
Wildlife authorities
say the men were apprehended in a nearby
town after police sniffer dogs tracked their
scent from the scene. Evidence collected
in the suspects’ homes further implicates
them in the incident, officials say. Injured
hunting dogs spotted by trackers near the
gorilla’s body were also discovered in the
homes of the suspects.
"The news coming
out of Bwindi is very discouraging. This
small population of just over 300 gorillas
has remained largely untouched for more
than 15 years,” said David Greer , WWF’s
African Great Ape Programme coordinator.
"With such a small population where
long-term viability is always a concern,
any losses are critical and must be met
with swift deterrent measures."
The gorilla killed was part of a small group
that has been habituated to the presence
of humans for tourism and research. Although
habituated, wild gorillas can still come
into conflict with humans when they feel
threatened.
"These gorillas
are important contributors to the Uganda
tourism industry and I suspect that present
anti-poaching strategies will be revisited
and vigilance will be significantly increased,"
Greer said. Each habituated mountain gorilla
is estimated to generate $1 million per
year in tourist dollars for the Ugandan
economy.
There are only 786 mountain gorillas remaining
in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic
of Congo, according to the most recent census
numbers.
In the area where the
incident occurred, officials from the Ugandan
Wildlife Authority (UWA) have been working
with district governments, local leaders
and community members to combat poaching
and other illegal activities.
“While there are several programs to share
revenue from mountain gorilla tourism with
communities around protected areas, we still
have poaching for small antelopes happening
in the park,” said Stephen Asuma from the
International Gorilla Conservation Programme
(IGCP), a coalition of WWF, Fauna &
Flora International and the African Wildlife
Foundation.
WWF supports the work
of IGCP in the communities around Bwindi
and other mountain gorilla habitats to reduce
conflict between wildlife and people.
Law enforcement and
government protection tends to be more robust
for mountain gorillas than for their western
lowland gorilla cousins, who are also critically
endangered and suffering rapid declines
from poaching. Gorilla meat has become popular
among wealthy elites in Central African
cities.
"While poachers
that kill even one legally protected animal
are often held to account in mountain gorilla
range, poachers in Central African countries
can often bribe their way to freedom after
killing entire gorilla families," Greer
says.
"Unfortunately,
poaching deaths continue to plague Central
African countries to the west of Uganda
where the more numerous western gorillas
reside. Daily killings in Cameroon, Gabon,
Congo and Central African Republic are not
the exception, but the standard."
To deter poaching, Greer says, Central African
governments must apply their existing wildlife
laws, ensure robust prosecutions of offenders,
and impose severe punishments.
WWF is working with gorilla range governments
to increase the number of wildlife rangers
to protect against poachers. The organization
also supports greater law enforcement cooperation
between countries to disrupt illegal wildlife
trade.
