剛果東部維拉岡（Virunga）國家公園一位野生物巡守員，20日遭反抗軍人殺害，另有4位受傷。這些巡守員的職責在保護國家公園內稀有的大猩猩。
清晨時刻，攻擊者突擊剛果公園管理處「剛果自然保育中心」（the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature）兩個巡邏崗哨。這些巡守員駐紮在公園邊緣的特西亞貝勒母山（Mount Tshiaberimu），以保護僅剩的21隻大猩猩，這些大猩猩屬於東低地大猩猩體型較小的亞種。
保育機構「大猩猩組織」（Gorilla Organization）指稱，那些攻擊者涉嫌殺害上千隻河馬，以獲取非法野生肉品。攻擊者揚言，如果園方要採取報復行動，他們將再殺害大猩猩。
另外，被反抗軍帶走的人質稍後遭釋放，也沒有受傷，據回報消息，4位受傷男性已脫離險境。不過，這起攻擊事件卻間接造成另一起意外──某位巡守員的妻子因事件壓力而早產，最後死亡。
維拉岡國家公園保育中心主任牧申滋（Norbert Mushenzi）表示，在剛果近10年的內戰與人道危機期間，他已目睹100多位巡守員在值勤時遇害。
「大猩猩組織」的前身為「黛安佛西大猩猩歐洲基金」，是受到美國動物學研究先驅佛西（Dian Fossey）的啟發而成立的，目的在救援瀕臨絕種的山地大猩猩。佛西的一生後來被編成電影「迷霧森林18年」。
目前該組織盡力保護山地和低地大猩猩的生存。他們的計畫包括保護大猩猩、發展農業，並實施「德班會議進程」（Durban Process，2003年德班保護區大會結論之一）所擬定的長期性方案──包含非法盜礦、保育和教育、森林住民、以及對抗棲地消失等議題。
One wildlife ranger was killed and four were left wounded Sunday by rebel soldiers who shot up patrol posts at Mount Tshiaberimu, a remote part of Virunga National Park in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. The rangers were protecting a tiny population of endangered gorillas.
In the early morning hours, the attackers hit two patrol posts of the DRC Parks Authority, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature. The patrol posts at Mount Tshiaberimu protect a population of just 21 gorillas that may be a smaller sub-species of the Eastern lowland gorilla.
The attackers are alleged to be involved in the slaughter of thousands of hippos for illegal bushmeat, says the Gorilla Organization. The gunmen have threatened to kill gorillas if the rangers retaliate for the shootings.
Hostages who were taken by the rebel soldiers were later released unharmed and the four wounded men are reported to be out of danger.
But another death was indirectly caused by the shooting when the wife of one of the Gorilla Organization's rangers, died during premature labor brought on by the stress in the incident.
Director of Conservation for Virunga National Park Norbert Mushenzi says he has seen more than 100 rangers killed in the line of duty during a decade of civil wars and humanitarian crises in DRC.
Formerly known as The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe, the Gorilla Organization was inspired to raise funds for the endangered mountain gorillas by the pioneering American zoologist whose life and death were dramatized in the film "Gorillas in the Mist."
Today the organization works to ensure the survival of lowland gorillas as well as mountain gorillas. Their projects include gorilla protection, agricultural development; the Durban Process long-term solution to illegal mining, conservation and education, forest people and combating loss of habitat.
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