‘A crime against nature’: Fury as sickening photos emerge of grinning ‘poachers’ posing with a gorilla they’ve just killed in the Congo
- Photos from the Republic of Congo show group of armed men around gorilla
- Believed that the wild animal had already been shot dead by the men
- Campaigners from L’Association Gorilla say the gorilla was ‘shot dead illegally’
Sickening images of a gorilla believed to have been shot dead before being used for a photo opportunity have sparked anger among animal rights activists.
Pictures posted online by a conservation group show a group of men armed with hunting rifles standing around the magnificent beast that has supposedly been killed by them.
L’Association Gorilla said the animal was ‘shot dead illegally’, suggesting the men in the photo may be responsible.
Pictures posted online by a conservation group show a group of men armed with hunting rifles standing around the magnificent beast that has supposedly been killed by them
It is understood the photos were taken near Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.
In a social media post accompanying the stomach-churning images, the group said: ‘This is what we would never want to see again…
‘These shocking images of a beautiful plains gorilla shot in all illegal, exposed by unconscious hunters, were taken only a few days ago in the Western Congo Bowl Department Brazzaville.
‘Let us remember once again that the slaughter of protected species is strictly forbidden by Congolese law.’
It is understood the photos were taken near Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo
Welfare coalition Ape Alliance added: ‘Killing gorillas is a crime against nature.’
Wild gorillas are under threat from poachers, disease and deforestation, with just over 1,000 mountain gorillas exist in the wild, according to the WWF.
‘Poaching continues unabated due to a lack of enforcement of national and international laws, coupled with ineffective judiciary systems,’ said the charity.
‘The commercial trade in bushmeat, which occurs throughout west and central Africa, is today the biggest threat to gorillas.
‘Apes are being killed to primarily to supply high-end demand for meat in urban centers, where the consumption of ape meat is considered to be prestigious amongst the wealthy elite.’