The poacher who killed the male mountain gorilla was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Chief Magistrate Court of Kabale City in southwestern Uganda. This was reported by the country’s National Wildlife Administration (UWA) on Thursday, July 30.
The killing of the gorilla Rafiki took place in the Bwindi Protected National Park on June 1. A few days later, a local resident, Felix Byamukama, was detained on suspicion of a crime. Hunting equipment was found at his house, as well as meat of wild animals.
It is noted that in addition to the killing of the gorilla, Byamukama was found guilty of illegal entry into the protected area and the murder of a bush pig. UWA chief executive Sam Mwandha hailed the court’s ruling, saying Rafiki received justice.
On July 22, it was reported that the Astrakhan interdistrict prosecutor’s office carried out an investigation into the incident in the Stepnoy reserve. There, unidentified persons attacked a herd of saigas from the air.
As it turned out, the poachers by helicopter dropped to a height of 10-15 m above the ground in the area of ​​the watering hole on Lake Bolshoy Artezian. The pilots created panic in the herd of the Red Book animals, which led to the death of one saiga.