Rwanda Arrests Poachers With Baby Gorilla
Date: 22-Dec-04
Country: RWANDA
Author: Arthur Asiimwe
The 3-year-old gorilla -- one of about 700 mountain gorillas left in the world -- was stolen from Bukima, an area in Congo's Virunga Park, before being taken into Rwanda to be sold for about $5,200, Rwanda said.
"The baby gorilla was found in a bag when the poachers were arrested," said Rica Rwigamba, the agency's executive director.
The suspects told investigators the baby was taken from gorillas used to visits from humans in Congo.
Gorillas are fiercely protective of their young, and the suspects fed drugged bananas to the adult gorillas before taking the baby, Rwigamba said.
Under Rwandan law, the poachers face up to four years in prison if convicted.
The gorilla was in a stable condition under the care of wildlife experts in Rwanda and would be taken back to Congo once its family is found.
Mountain gorillas are among the world's most endangered species, and they populate the lush volcanic mountains straddling the borders of Uganda, Congo and Rwanda, an area riddled by war.
They are a major tourist attraction, pulling in millions of dollars from visitors who pay up to $350 to see the gorillas.
The animals were made famous by the movie "Gorillas in the Mist" about researcher Dian Fossey, who studied them in northeastern Rwanda in the 1960s and documented her work in a book by the same name.
