The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) published the saddening news of the death of a rare silverback gorilla known as Rafiki. Rafiki was one of Uganda’s best known and most beloved gorillas. The 25-year-old gorilla was part of the popular Nkuringo gorilla family that lives in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in southwestern Uganda.
Gladly, however, four poachers have been arrested following the ruthless killing of this rare silverback gorilla. ‘’We have arrested four people over the death of Rafiki, the Silverback of Nkuringo Gorilla group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They will be prosecuted in the courts of law’’, tweeted UWA.
According to UWA’s sentiments, it is said that one of the four suspects frankly admitted slaying the animal with a spear, but claiming he did so as a way of self defense after Rafiki charged him while he was trying to hunt smaller creatures.
All four men are now awaiting trial, though it’s uncertain exactly what charges are most likely to face. Rafiki, a Swahili word means “friend” and this was exactly Rafiki silverback – was so friendly to tourists (the gorilla avid). It was the dominant male of a 17-strong family which had become a huge tourist draw and which was known to be comfortable with human contact, so friendly.
As already noted above, the silverback was the dominant male in the Nkuringo family that also included three black backs or younger mature males, eight adult females, two juveniles and three infants. Adult mountain gorillas have the distinctive silverback shading.
It is said that the silverback went missing on the 1st of June and the body was discovered the next day. A post-mortem revealed substantial injuries to internal organs caused by a sharp device. UWA however showed its worry that the death of Rafiki silverback leaves the family unstable and that there could be a possibility of the family to disintegrate.
UWA is also worried that since the Nkuringo gorilla family has no leadership at this time, it could be taken over by a wild silverback. If that happens, then the family (which has been so friendly to tourists) would most likely withdraw from human interaction, which could impact on tourism and ultimately devastate the local economy.
The four suspects in the killing were arrested on 4th June. If charged and found guilty of killing the Rafiki silverback, the four suspects are most likely to face a life sentence or a fine of US$ 5.4 million for killing.
It is to be remembered that in 2018, the mountain gorillas were excluded from the list of critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) after the in-depth conservation efforts, including anti-poaching patrols, and many other efforts that helped to revive them from being on the verge of extinction. The IUCN now classifies the species as endangered, and they’re now known as endangered mountain gorillas, with a total number of over 1,200 individuals.
Where to find endangered mountain gorillas:
There are only three lucky countries in the world that still reside these precious creatures, the endangered mountain gorillas, namely; Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. With two mountain gorilla refuges (Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks), Uganda is definitely regarded as the best destination for mountain gorilla excursions. The gorilla refuges in Rwanda and DR Congo are, Volcanoes and Virunga National Parks, respectively.