4 Gorillas Victims Of Fighting In Congo

Four mountain gorillas died in cross fire between Congolese soldiers and Rwandan insurgents in eastern Congo, a conservation group said Tuesday.

Fewer than 620 mountain gorillas now remain in the world. Half live on the volcanoes that mark the borders between Rwanda, Congo and Uganda.

Four gorillas, including the dominant male Kabirizi, were killed May 18, the Nairobi-based International Gorilla Conservation Program said in a statement.

The animals were caught in a battle between Rwandan insurgents and fighters for the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo, the conservation group said. The fighting occurred a day after Laurent Kabila’s forces seized the capital of the former Zaire.

Since 1990, 10 gorillas have died in fighting in Rwanda and Congo.