Mountain Gorilla Killed in Rwanda

Statement by the International Gorilla Conservation Program, a joint initiative of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International and World Wide Fund for Nature.

Tuesday 5 June 2001--On Saturday, June 2, militia groups crossed the border into Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting over the weekend between the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) and the militia groups resulted in at least 150 people captured and a number dead. Two of the militia captives admitted to the park authorities in Rwanda that they had killed one gorilla, and eaten it for food. The gorilla had been killed on the Rwanda side of the border, in the Parc National des Volcans. From other accounts, it is possible, but yet unconfirmed, that two gorillas were killed in this incident.

The Virunga region has been affected by the war in Rwanda from 1990 to 1994, and from the insurgency of militia groups from the DRC to Rwanda from 1994 to 1998. People have moved through the forest to launch attacks and to hide. The Virunga forest is also the home of one of the two populations of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). The Virunga population totals 350 individuals (IGCP press release January 2001) and the Bwindi population in Uganda totals 300 individuals (McNeilage, Plumptre, Brock-Doyle and Vedder, Oryx, 2001, 35,1,39-47), bringing the world population of mountain gorillas to only 650 individuals. The gorillas in the Virungas have suffered considerable losses during the war, with at least 16 individuals killed directly by the fighting. The impact of the insecurity and conflict on their habitat, their behaviour and their reproductive success has yet to be fully determined, but the population growth falls below that which would have been expected if conditions had been 'normal.

People in northwestern Rwanda, southwestern Uganda and the Virunga region of eastern DRC do not normally eat primates. The gorillas have therefore been spared the level of poaching for food that has had an extremely negative impact on gorilla populations elsewhere in Africa. The poaching of gorillas for food, or bushmeat trade has caused thousands of gorillas to be killed in Africa in the past few years. The fact that eating gorillas was not considered culturally acceptable in this region of Africa has been a large factor allowing for the slow increase in mountain gorilla numbers in the past decade.

The militia explained that they killed the adult silverback male gorilla for food on the 2nd of June as a last resort effort to find food. The groups had been dispersed in the forest and unable to find food, while under pursuit by the RPA. In desperation, they claim, they killed the gorilla and ate it. Park staff found remnants of the animal, with the distinctive silver hairs.

The Government of Rwanda took the threat to the unique mountain gorillas very seriously and sent a military contingent to the park to locate, with staff of the Rwandan protected area authorities, each habituated gorilla group and ensure that all animals were safe. The four tourism groups (Suza, Sabinyo, Amahoro and Group 13), and the three research groups (Pablo, Shinda and Beetsme) were located and all animals accounted for. It is likely therefore that the gorilla killed was a solitary male or an animal belonging to one of the non-habituated groups. All habituated groups of gorillas are being monitored carefully by the park staff and military.

The International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) has been working with the park authorities in Rwanda, DRC and Uganda since 1991. IGCP is working with the Volcano National Park staff in Rwanda (ORTPN) as well as the staff working in the connecting Virunga National Park in DRC (ICCN) to deal with the current situation. Efforts to ensure all the animals in the DRC are accounted for are currently underway with IGCP and park staff in DRC, together with the military. These efforts will help confirm whether one or two animals were killed, and where.

The Volcano National Park has not been closed and visitors have continued to see the gorillas. The parks in Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park) have also remained open and are being visited by tourists.