Another Mountain gorilla found dead.

August 2007. A fifth gorilla from the Rugendo family, Macibiri, has been confirmed as dead after the recent attack that killed four other members of her family. Tragically, Macibiri was nursing an infant born in January last year, and there has been no sign of the infant, known as Ntaribi, since the attack. Even if Ntaribi did survive the attack, such a young gorilla would not be able to survive on their own. There is a remote possibility that the infant has been taken by those who killed Macibiri.

 

The Rugendo gorilla group had recovered to number a dozen gorillas after some trials and tribulations over the last few years, however the recent killings have reduced the group to just 6 individuals, and the group is being led by an inexperienced black back gorilla named Mukunda.

 

The group now has only 1 mature female, and being so low in numbers and led by an inexperienced male, the future of the group is now in question.

Click to read more about the work of the Congo Rangers' efforts to protect the Mountain gorillas, or to help their campaign with a donation.

 

New plans to protect survivors of gorilla massacre

New plans are being put into action to protect the gorillas that survived the recent slaughter in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, the images of which shocked the world. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), working with other conservation organisations in the area, has formulated plans to safeguard the remaining gorillas and to establish a fund for the work that is essential for their continued survival.

The bodies of one silverback and three female gorillas were discovered on Sunday July 22nd in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. Park rangers found the infant of one of the females, an injured baby called Ndeze, on the 24th, clinging to her older brother. Ndeze is now being cared for by vets in the town of Goma, just outside the park. She was severely dehydrated and traumatised and is now being looked after 24hrs a day by one of the park’s rangers. A previous orphan from a similar gorilla killing in the park in June, Ndakasi, is also being cared for in Goma.

Dr Noelle Kumpel, ZSL’s Bushmeats and Forests Conservation Programme Manager, said, ‘The massacre of four mountain gorillas was a devastating tragedy and it is now essential that we now provide constant protection to the remaining families. Shockingly, this is not the first time that gorillas in the park have been slaughtered in this way and we are calling on the public to support our appeal for funds to help us ensure that it does not happen again.’