Poacher Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Killing Silverback Gorilla

A Ugandan court just sentenced a poacher to 11 years in prison for killing a silverback gorilla. The man, Byamukama Felix, confessed to killing the gorilla last month during the trial.

Rafiki, or “friend” in Swahili, was the dominant male gorilla for the Nkuringo troop of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, an 80,000-acre UNESCO World Heritage site in Uganda. As many as half of all living mountain gorillas call Bwindi Park their home.

Rafiki was thought to be about 25 years old before his body was found inside the park. He was found with what appeared to be a stab wound so park authorities ordered a necropsy. The post-mortem confirmed that he was injured with a sharp implement leading to his death.

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