The killer of one of Uganda’s best known mountain gorillas, Rafiki, has been jailed for 11 years. Felix Byamukama pleaded guilty to illegally entering a protected area and killing a gorilla. Byamukama had said the gorilla attacked him and he killed Rafiki in self defence, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Mountain gorillas are […]
Tag: mountain gorilla
Twelve rangers killed in latest Virunga Park incident
Twelve rangers and five other people were killed in Virunga National Park in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday. It was the latest deadly incident in the park, where more than 150 rangers have been killed since 2006. Virunga, which includes large areas of intact rainforest that are home to […]
Keeping gorillas safe amid COVID-19 concerns
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, gorilla conservation teams are working to ensure that Africa’s endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), and the people who protect them, remain safe. Gorillas are vulnerable to human diseases, and can experience these diseases in more severe forms. Mountain gorillas have died from the common cold. So with the first […]
Mountain gorilla census reveals further increase in numbers
The outlook for eastern Africa’s mountain gorillas is growing brighter, as a recent census released on Dec. 16 shows that the subspecies’ numbers have risen since 2011. Scientists believe there are now at least 1,063 mountain gorillas living in the wild. Tara Stoinski, the CEO and chief scientific officer of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, […]
Petition: Increase Protections for Gorillas and Rangers at Virunga National Park!
Virunga National Park is Africa’s oldest and most biologically diverse protected area. Virunga’s Senkwekwe Center is home to critically endangered mountain gorillas. The orphaned gorillas have been in the care of the park rangers at Virunga since they were babies. They are often hunted and poached, and when left as orphans, they are cared for […]
Salt fiends: Search for sodium puts Rwanda’s gorillas in harm’s way
A sodium craving may be the reason endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) from Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda leave the park to raid nearby eucalyptus plantations, according to a recent paper published in Biotropica. Tourists from around the world pay $1,500 for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend just an hour with these majestic great […]
Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
This one-day-old baby Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of twins born last year in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. At the time it was believed to be number 781 of the total population of mountain Gorillas. Now a new census suggests that the total population has risen to 880, a growth trend that has […]
The Thinker…
Staring deeply into the eyes of a silverback Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), I truly wonder… what is in his thoughts? Volcanoes National Park, Virunga Massif, Rwanda
