Mysterious Gorilla Death in Bwindi Under Investigation
An adult female gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda has died under mysterious circumstances. The female, named Kasongo, was from the Mubare gorilla family, which is habituated and visited by tourists.
On the evening of March 6th, Kasongo was found dead on public land near the Bwindi Park headquarters in Buhoma. Dr. Ssebide of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project performed a post-mortem examination, results from which showed that Kasongo had a cracked skull, which could have resulted from a deliberate blow to the head. An investigation into her death has been launched by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Little else is known about the circumstances surrounding Kasongo’s death at this time. IGCP Uganda Programme Officer James Byamukama is following the investigation, and will report any new findings when they are available. IGCP will continue to follow this story, and will report updates when we know more.
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March 18th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
How sad to hear that news. I was tracking in Bwindi this past May and instantly fell in love with the Gorillas. Their gentle disposition makes something like this all the more tragic. The rest of the group must be very distraught. Hopefully, the UWF will be able to find out what happened and pro-actively ensure there are no more incidents.
March 20th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
We await updates on this sad news
March 21st, 2009 at 11:57 am
This breaks my heart. There are less than 620 mountain gorillas left in the world. I was trekkikng with the gorillas in Bwindi this past August. They gorilla families welcome you into their enviroment… and put their trust in mankind. Becasue they have 98% of the same genes as humans, they have strong ties with their family… and have strong emotions. This loss will effect the entire family. I look forward to updates.
March 24th, 2009 at 6:36 am
The sadness of Kasongo’s death will touch everyone’s heart who had the opportunity to trek in Uganda and those that follow the fragile lives of so few mountain gorillas that are left.
A member of ‘our’ family has died and we all morn the loss.
All too often we humans do not realize the close relationship between us and our brothers and sisters of the animal world. The extinction of any animal is one step closer to the extinction of humankind. Let’s all work together to keep us both safe and healthy.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:16 am
i feel heartbroken even though i did not know the female. but
any animal death in a waste even it the animal was mean or
tried to attack you. it would problemly trying to protect her
land from outsiders. i really hope the person who ever it was
is caught before the person does something like this again
it`s really sad and disgusting
gemma ( gemz )
March 27th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Another tragic loss of a beautiful creature, I pray they find out what happened to her.
March 28th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
So, so sad! I hope the truth comes out as to what happened to her.
May she R.I.P.
March 30th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Jamie, IGCP Communications Officer, here. I have just returned to office after being away last week, and am now looking for the latest news on Kasongo’s death. There seems to be a break in the case, and I will report it on the blog here as soon as I am able to verify the information.
A sad day for us all indeed….
May 31st, 2009 at 8:42 am
how sorry i am feeling