China News Service, June 16 (Xinhua) - According to foreign media reports, a famous 25-year-old male silverback gorilla in Bwindi National Park in Uganda was killed earlier this month. The Uganda Wildlife Service immediately launched an investigation and arrested 4 suspects.
According to reports, the murdered gorilla is called Lafeki, and is the leader of the "Nkuringo Gorilla Group" in the Bwindi National Park, and is popular among tourists from all over the world.
Data picture: On September 2, 2019, a silver-backed gorilla named Segasira was lying under a tree and looked up at the sky in Rwanda Volcanoes National Park.
On the 1st of this month, the park side of Bwindi National Park discovered that Lafiki was missing and found his body the next day. After investigations by the Uganda Wildlife Service, one person was arrested and ropes, spears and wire loops were found in his home.
During the interrogation, the suspect stated that when he and another poacher went out to hunt, he was suddenly attacked by Lafiki and killed him for self-defense. The suspect also admitted that he had eaten wild boar with two other suspects.
The Uganda Wildlife Service issued a statement on June 12 stating that the autopsy report showed that Lafeki was punctured by a sharp object on the left upper abdomen, injured the internal organs, and eventually died.
According to reports, if the four suspects were found guilty of killing endangered animals, they may face life imprisonment or a fine of $5.4 million.
Bwindi National Park was established in 1991 and is located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are more than 400 mountain gorillas in the park, about half of the world's population, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.
Gorilla is mainly distributed in two major habitats in East Africa and West Africa. Male gorillas can stand up to 175 cm tall and weigh up to 175 kg. They are sturdy, and their back color will appear silver-gray when they reach the age of 12 years, so they are called silver-backed gorillas.