Four senior wildlife officers who had been arrested for the July 2007 killings of 5 mountain gorillas have been found guilty of a lesser charge o f destruction of flora and fauna.
There was insufficient evidence to link them to the killings of the gorillas and they were each fined US $ 5,000 and sentenced for 6 months imprisonment for the illegal charcoal trade which is said to have earned each of them up to $15,000 per month. The officers have been suspended from the ICCN.
The alleged mastermind of the gorilla killings Honore Mashagiro, is on trial. He is the former Director of the Virunga National Park and is accused of involvement in the illegal charcoal mafia and killings of the gorillas in July 2007.
This is the first time that the ICCN has prosecuted it’s own officers and represents a significant achievement towards zero tolerance of illegal activities by the wildlife officers.
Emmanuel de Merode, former CEO of WildlifeDirect, is the current Director of the Virunga Park. All of us at WildlifeDirect applaud Emmanuel and his team for this achievement, and look forward to continued successes in protecting the mountain gorillas.
6 Comments
Well, this is good news! I was beginning to think that Mashagiro would never stand trial. It’s too bad the others couldn’t be tried for the actual murders of the Rugendo family, but those are pretty stiff fines in Congo, I’m sure.
s.
It’s good to hear there has been some justice for the Rugendo family. Not as harsh a punishment as I would like but at least they got punished for their horrible crimes. I think the ICCN is sending a strong message about zero tolerance. Bravo!
Dian Fossey reckoned the rot went to the top of various organisations in gorilla conservation in the 1980s as detailed in Mowat’s biography of her. Twenty years on and it’s still going on, although it’s hopeful that at least some sort of conviction was made in this case.
Makes me sick every time I see this photo! I hope these criminals will pay a higher price in their next life!
Very sad indeed, if the very people that are supposed to be in charge of the welfare of our great ape cousins are the ones responsible for their deaths and loss of habitat then this unfortunately sends a message to the general public that these issues are not worth the money that is being donated.
What a big blow to conservation efforts. I hope the culprits meet justice.