Poacher who stabbed world-famous silverback gorilla Rafiki to death in UNESCO national park jailed for 11 years
A poacher in Uganda who stabbed to death one of the most famous silverback gorillas in the world was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Thursday, July 30. The gorilla, Rafiki, a 25-year-old male and head of a 17-member gorilla group, who was immensely popular with tourists, went missing last month on June 1. Shortly after his body was recovered, Ugandan wildlife chiefs, arrested poacher Felix Byamukama, who pleaded guilty to stabbing the beloved gorilla in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site.
Shortly after Byamukama's sentencing, Uganda's wildlife authority stated that his prison sentence was "justice for Rafiki." Wildlife official Sam Mwandha said: "We are all relieved that Rafiki has received justice and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife. If one person kills wildlife we all lose, therefore we request every person to support our efforts of conserving wildlife for the present and future generations."
Byamukama, on Thursday, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including killing a gorilla, entering a protected area and being in possession of illegal meat, according to the Daily Mail. Multiple hunting devices including a spear and rope snared were also discovered from the poacher's home during a search.
Byamukama, while talking to authorities, had admitted going hunting in the park, however, he climaed that he had killed Rafiki in self-defense after the gorilla charged at the hunting party. Wildlife authorities had launched a search party for Rafiki after he was reported missing from the Nkuringo gorilla group on June 1. After his body was found, a post-mortem was conducted, which revealed that the silverback had sustained "an injury by a sharp device/object that penetrated its left upper part of the abdomen up to the internal organs."
Chief magistrate Julius Borere, at a court in Kabale on Thursday, sentenced Byamukama to 11 years in prison for his crimes. Three more suspects were also arrested in the crime, they, however, have pleaded not guilty and have been remanded in custody while they await trial.
Stringent legislation was introduced in the country last year, stating that "anyone involved in illegal wildlife activities will face the wrath of the law," according to officials. Uganda's game parks are riddled with rampant poaching attempts and authorities frequently announce seizures of illicitly acquired wildlife products like ivory, rhino horns, pangolin scales, and others, according to reports.
The park, located near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, houses primates, elephants, antelopes, and other wildlife. The national park attracts tourists because of its estimated 400 mountain gorillas, which amounts to nearly half of the world's population. Mountain gorillas are endangered species because humans have encroached ever further on their territory, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). However, the outlook appears to have "brightened" because of intensive conservation efforts, WWF has stated. The numbers, in the last two decades, have increased considerably. Silverback gorillas have thicker fur than other great apes and can weigh up to 440lbs.