Hunters kill my companion, one of the most famous mountain gorillas in Uganda

Ugandan fishermen killed In the impregnable Bwindi National Forest a FriendOne of the most famous mountain gorillas in Uganda, whose species is at risk of severe extinction, of which only a thousand copies remain, authorities said today.

The Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) has arrested four suspects in the same park in Bwindi (southwest of the country), on the border with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the only corner in the world where this type of gorilla lives.

One of them, who was arrested on 4 June, a resident of the town of Moroli, was in possession of potamukero (a type of wild boar) and various hunting weapons.

This Ugandan man confessed to killing the well-known president in self-defense, after he tried – according to his assertions – to attack him and the other three suspects in police custody awaiting trial.

Rafiki, which means “friend” in Swahili, was the silver-backed (dominant) male of the Nkorengo family of 17, as well as a very popular figure among Ugandans and park visitors.

According to the autopsy, he died after a sharp object penetrated the left upper part of his abdomen to reach his organs, the UWA said in a statement.

My companion has been missing since June 1, and it was the park’s tracking teams who found his body in the same nature reserve.

The Bwindi Forest, listed on the World Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is a refuge for nearly half of the mountain gorillas that remain on the planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The population of mountain gorillas, a critically endangered species that lives in three parks in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, is estimated at 1,004, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

In just eight years, the population of this species – “beringei beringei” – in Congolese Park Virunga has increased from 480 in 2010 to the current 604 specimens (41 groups, 14 males); Those that have added to the gorilla portion of Uganda reach a total estimate of 1,004 samples.