Two Rangers, Four Others, 13 Endangered Okapi Massacred By Militia At DRC Research Station

[hatrack]

Two wildlife rangers were among the six people killed during brazen attack on a wildlife facility by a militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo last Sunday. 13 endangered okapi were slaughtered during the early morning raid, which was reportedly a response to a crackdown on illegal elephant poaching and gold mining inside the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

The attack was led by Mai Mai Simba rebels, according to the Okapi Conservation Project, which runs Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The militia destroyed buildings and equipment at the facility, which is shared by the Institute in the Congo for Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and the Okapi Conservation Project. Computers, phones, medical supplies, food, and other gear were stolen.

The dead include two ICCN rangers, the wife of one of the rangers, an immigration worker, and 2 residents of Epulu, the town where the attack took place.

"There are no words to describe the loss of the okapi at the station, some of which have been in residence for over 23 years and all made it through seven years of civil war unscathed," wrote John Lukas, head of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, in a field update posted on the Wildlife Conservation Network's web site. "They were ambassadors for all wildlife in the forest and had been helping educate visitors to the Station of the marvels of the diversity of life in the rainforest for over 25 years."

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0629-okapi-massacre.html

[d_r]

1. horrible sad evil