An infant mountain gorilla was poached by a Congolese and Rwandan gang last month in Rwanda, but thanks to conservation organizations including the
WWF the less than one year old male was rescued. The perpetrators were arrested by Rwandan police on the border at Gisenyl. Despite a bad cough and runny nose, the infant seemed to be in good shape. Gorillas are prone to infection from humans
[photo]. One of the smugglers in jail was seen to sneeze directly on the infant. The gorilla infant was taken to the Kinigi orphan care facility by veterinarians from the
Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Project for a full health assessment. Dr. Jan Ramer described the orphan male as tense, but accepting of humans and eating which are good signs for his recovery from a terrifying ordeal. There will be an investigation of those caught smuggling and their contacts. The news is a positive outcome for the nearly helpless gorilla, but it underscores the existence of an organized,
clandestine trade that is wiping out rare animals in the wild for an international market. Efforts are hopefully being made to strengthen protections for wildlife in the DRC's Virunga National Park now that civil war has subsided in the region. Local residents should be recruited to aid in the protection of our wild cousins, to make the trade less profitable.
