Virunga Gorillas

11/21/2014

Additional Resources for you to Explore After watching the video about the murder of the Virunga Gorilla's what do you think could cause someone to act in such violence? Was it random? What it someone who was crazy? After some further investigation, it has come to light who it truly responsible for this horrible act. It is not as simple to say the guilty party should pay, we have to begin to ask questions about why these events happen, what drives people to this level of desperation. Read the following National Geographic article about the killings and the investigation that followed.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/virunga/jenkins-text/1

Why does this seem harder for people to hear and learn about then murders of human beings? Why do people react so strongly do these killings?

What are the issues at the center of the problem here, is it simply a revenge killing? Is it something more?

Post your responses here, don't forget you need to make an initial post and them comment on one other post from someone else.

46 Comments

Gianna Fazio

11/30/2014 02:11:21 am

The Virunga killings are absolutely heartbreaking. Beautiful, innocent (and endangered) gorillas were the victims of political unrest and corruption in that African park. It is so hard to hear about killings of a I animals like these because they are so valuable and irreplacable to the Earth, and they did absolutely nothing to deserve this fate- and no one could save them , not even Ngobobo who was like their guardian angel.
The issue here was simply the chaotic, barbaric African government and political control. Militias and multiple armies govern Africa- often by extreme measures of violence and intimidation. The underlying reason for the murders was the coal trade. Ngobobo tried to stop this illegal trade to preserve the park- but he soon discovered that more people than he imagined were involved- his own superior was the kingpin and was responsible for the murder of the gorilla family simply to discredit Ngobobo and his lifelong actions to protect the gorillas and the park. It truly is a shame that such precious animals happen to live in such unstable, corrupt countries, where kindhearted people like Ngobobo are constantly murdered or outnumbered for their conservatory actions

Tara litvin

12/1/2014 11:44:20 pm

You make an excellent point. These murders should not have occurred, they were just a form of political protest: a protest the gorillas wouldn't of even understood.

Robert Boos

12/11/2014 04:11:47 am

I agree G. It's such a shame that actions like these are still going on in the world. We've reached the age where we understand our actions but sit and wait for everyone else to fix them. But we must all change for anything to change.

Ryan Rattazzi

1/4/2015 10:34:07 pm

This is true, most people understand what they do will have an affect on the environment in in turn on society, but continue to not change their way of life. The way people live much b changed if we want to see a change for the better.

Tara litvin

12/1/2014 11:25:38 pm

It's devastating to hear about these murders. They weren't even killed for their fur or resources. They were simply murdered and left there. These big beautiful animals should not have been the victims. Every gorilla is important in the wild, as an endangered species, by killing these ones, they limited the gene pool even more so than it was. They did nothing to harm the killers to deserve this. They were killed as a form of protest.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

12/1/2014 11:55:49 pm

I agree Tara, the gorillas were an innocent victim. They are an endangered, important and did not deserve to be killed.

Kaitlyn Gibbons

12/1/2014 11:53:38 pm

After watching the video I was shocked and confused that a group of people were able to kill the gorillas without any cause like poaching. In the article I found the most depressing part was how the park rangers called the gorillas their brothers. I think that this is why people are reacting so strongly, humans and gorillas are so similar so it is like one of our own being killed. The killings are a form of revenge. A fight over charcoal sparked the killings. The gorillas were the innocent victim which is so important to know. They were being killed to discredit a person.

Corinne Caminske

12/2/2014 08:44:33 am

I understand your confusion after watching the video; I felt the same way! The shock and heartbreak the rangers must have felt when they saw their brothers is extremely depressing. We hear about human murders all the time, but this was more terrifying than any murder story I've read before. People are that insane that they would kill an innocent being to spite another human.

Emma Philbin

12/4/2014 08:18:21 am

I completely agree about how disturbing it is that someone would kill these innocent creatures in order to discredit a person. This is revenge killing for not something the gorilla did, but something a human did purposefully or not, but the gorilla is going to have to face the everlasting consequence. Its heartbreaking and enraging all at once.

Corinne Caminske

12/2/2014 08:39:36 am

Due to the article and video, I am convinced the the Earth would be a much better place if it wasn't for humans. These innocent animals were forced to pay the price of human desire for revenge over the coal trade. I find it to be disgusting that people chose to take out their anger on a family of beautiful gorillas rather than solve the problem like a civilized person. The most upsetting part is these animals were all ready forced to endure guerrilla wars that were happening around them. It doesn't seem right to bring in peaceful animals into human conflicts. I think the reason this is so difficult to read about is because it forces us to ask who the real animal and uncivilized being is. The gorillas were enjoying life until humans destroyed it. I also think there's a feeling of guilt and shame that comes from this reading, and it begs the "what's wrong with the world" question. These creatures were guilty of nothing it's humans that should pay the price not innocent gorillas.

Julie Marro

12/10/2014 10:13:29 am

I agree, unfortunately, stories like these leave me feeling awful about human actions. But, it was beautiful, and tragic, to see how much the African rangers cared for those gorillas, and treated them so beautifully. I think it says that there is definitely hope for us! It's so sad that they paid the price while they were just trying to live their lives.

Isha Khawaja

1/20/2015 11:09:44 am

I had the same feeling Julie. Although the murders were tragic, the way the rangers honored the gorillas' death did give me hope. The message the rangers are giving back to us by commemorating their death is extremely powerful. The rangers are showing that they are not different than their animals and that they are both living on this planet together, side by side. It reminds me of the quote we got on our sweatshirts, "The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth".

Liv Kaczmarek

1/12/2015 10:46:11 am

I completely agree. These innocent animals paid the price of human actions that could have been handled in so many other ways. These animals have endured so much and did not desire the fate they were handed.

Emma Philbin

12/4/2014 08:15:15 am

After reading the article and watching the video, I feel heartbroken and devastated for not only the gorillas, but for the African people. They not only lost a precious and beautiful creator that inhabits their lands with them, but they lost family. The gorillas were caalled sisters and brothers amoung the rangers, and after seeing them lie lifeless and brutal shot wounds, they were unable to speak and just in such a state of shock. The twelve-member Rugendo family was well-known among tourists and well loved by the rangers of Virunga National Park. As to why someone would take an automatic weapon and brutally murder these gorillas are beyond me. The wild animals are not barbaric, the people who chose to take their lives are. The murder on one perticular gorilla got me very upset, and that was the one the female that was shot execution style in the back of the head; her infant, still alive, was clinging to her dead mother's breast. With roughly 720 mountain gorillas left on Earth, its disgusting that someone would execute these twelve gorillas and six gorillas in the video for no reason other than execution and to make a statement. Even for poaching I will never understand why people would want to kill these endangered animals. Hopefully the story of these gorillas will get out further across the world, and these atrocities will stop.

Lucas Brennan

12/6/2014 11:00:16 pm

You make a great point about the one specific death of the mother gorilla that was especially devastating. I agree that this need to stop across the world and people need to be educated about what is going on in the world.

Brian Sputh

12/8/2014 02:06:26 am

I agree with you. These gorillas were all killed for no reason and it must be stopped. We need to find a way to help protect these animals from being unnecessarily killed. The people are acting in a barbaric manner in just killing these animals for no reason or rhyme.

Lucas Brennan

12/6/2014 10:58:16 pm

I was devastated after watching this video. Being completely honest, it was hard to watch. This species is endangered and killing them purely for political purposes is just unbelievable to me. This may be harder to face for some people than the killings of human beings because of how valuable these gorillas are to maintaining the biodiversity of the area and not allowing these gorillas to become extinct. They need to be protected from militias and such in order to preserve their well being. There may be an underlying cause here and that could be the illegal charcoal trade that occurs in the area, but even killing such a special species for that reason is barbaric and the epitome of unnecessary.It sickens me that we as a populace can stand by and let things like this happen in the place we call our home. We need to stand up for species like the gorillas that can not stand up for themselves. I hope the story of these gorillas gets out to everybody so people can be better informed about what is going on to endangered species.

Anthony Pacia

12/7/2014 04:36:18 am

I agree that the gorillas need to be better protected and by educating people about this issue more can be done to prevent this. These atrocities need to be heard by everyone so that we can get more support to stop these incidents from occurring.

Nicholas Cowan

12/9/2014 01:33:36 pm

I agree with your point it is sick that we stand by and let such things happen, but I have to note that, before this assignment, I had never heard the gorilla murders. Our politics and media today focuses on too many other unnecessary issues, such as crime and celebrities, when in reality, much more time should go to environmental issues such as this so that we could know about it and thus not let it happen in the future. I mean, it's hard to think that so much coverage goes into news on Kim Kardashian and One Direction and the fire that burned down a house in some town, but all of these are singular present events. In other words, tomorrow you won't even think about that fire, but the images of 7 murdered gorillas should be something stuck in your mind so you can never forget.

Anthony Pacia

12/7/2014 04:31:06 am

The unnecessary slaughter of these gorillas is a tragedy that never should have occurred but is the result of the gorillas living in arguably the most unstable region in the world in Central Africa. Many factors make these murders seem worse than human murders but the two most prominent ones are the fact that these gorillas are so rare and have such a small population and also the fact that these gorillas did nothing besides living natural lives in the wild and didn't harm anyone but ended up being executed just to make a statement. The problem seems to lie mainly with the coal trade that has corrupted many individuals who should be protecting these gorillas but are instead lining their pockets with illegal coal money. This problem will persist until the warring factions in the regions are gone and the rangers can return and be paid fully so they can't be corrupted as easily. This would hopefully lead to tourism starting up again which will bringing in money that can replace the money that is currently being generated by coal.

Ryan O'Donnell

12/15/2014 09:03:09 am

i agree with you that to stop the killings, stability needs to be established within the region. if tourism and money can be generated, it will help in stopping these senseless killings.

Brian Sputh

12/8/2014 02:04:09 am

The devastation that is happening to the Virunga Gorillas is terrible. They are being killed and slaughtered for absolutely no reason and their habitats are being destroyed as well. For people to just unforgivingly destroy habitats and kill gorillas is unfathomable. They have no remorse for the creatures that they have killed. The gorillas are so rare in that are and have a very low population and are being killed by poachers for no reason. These murders are more profound than human murders because these creatures are killed for no reason and are just left there. They aren't killed for their fur or their resources, they're being killed for no reason and that needs to stop. The problem lies in the coal trade which has left people scrambling for resources and are in panic. If the gorillas were to be helped and saved then it could lead to an increase in tourism and more money put into the economy in Africa.

Gianna

12/8/2014 11:01:16 pm

You make a great point about how worthless these murders were- it was not comparable to the poaching of snow leapords or other animals. Even though killing them is terrible, too, the people that kill them desperately need the remains of the animal to sustain their family. However, the vicious militia men that killed these gorillas used them for nothing, they even burned their poor bodies.

Nicholas Cowan

12/9/2014 01:21:04 pm

We are told from the time we are very young that the power of one person is so powerful, and this article backs that up. In a world where money is more powerful than life, we find a number of people who will do anything, no matter how barbaric, for profit, so we need contrasting individuals who believe in love, morals, and life over money, to bring justice to our chaotic world. For example, Ngobobo in the article was the leading figure against a corrupt group seeking profit from the detrimental charcoal trade. This group murdered 7 innocent gorillas to simply smite Ngobobo and his good deeds trying to undermine their trade, which is so hard to believe. As other people have commented, such murders are simply unnecessary: there were so many other ways they could have tried to make a point against Ngobobo without killing their own brothers. Whenever we watch the news and see such atrocities as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, we have to ask ourselves "why?" Why is this the world we live in? The gorillas in a way are like a group of school children, or as the villagers say, our brothers. We cannot and should not have to bear the sight of their mutilated bodies strewn across the jungle floor. If one good thing came from this, it is that the murderers were brought to justice, but we still have to ask ourselves whether or not this will happen again. Leaders still crave money and power and it is possible that no amount of "justice" will eliminate their thirst for such ideas. We can only hope that our future will be full of people like Ngobobo who know better and are willing to go to any lengths to make things right.

Sarah Walsh

1/9/2015 12:43:55 am

I agree with this a lot- I think this incident is a microcosm of a larger scale problem of power and greed and corruption. It's frightening to see these kinds of problems existing in so much abundance within our world.

Julie Marro

12/10/2014 10:10:27 am

I will never understand why humans act so selfishly. Killing beautiful animals to make a statement is something most of us couldn't fathom, but it happened. It is disgusting that these poor animals had to die for a conflict they could've never understood, and these African people are left mourning their deaths. Everyone needs to regard gorillas with the same respect those people did in the video. I think this is so hard to watch because with animals there is such a sense of innocence and naivety, they don't know about what is going on with humans, our conflicts and our politics, but they are being killed for them. It is so unfair, and incredibly unnecessary. Animals are not resources that exist for human exploitation.

Alyssa Lofaro

12/19/2014 09:30:26 am

You make a great point Julie how unfair and selfish it is to kill these animals. I also agree with you on hard the video was to watch. I will never understand why these people killed those animals but in most cases I don't think any of us will.

Robert Boos

12/11/2014 04:08:54 am

It is difficult hearing about these murders because gorillas are innocent creatures. They are wild animals who don't know better than to follow their instincts and try to survive, so killing them without reason seems more cruel than killing humans. Although killing humans is also bad, there is a certain level of understanding one has for killing humans, greed and selfishness can be understood as a reason for killing. These gorillas were clearly killed for fun which makes it all the more devastating. It seems that these killings produced no more joy than a few seconds of fun for the shooters which is such a waste. With less than 1000 gorillas left, these are the events that just CAN NOT happen.

Kyle

1/4/2015 06:02:22 am

The fact that there is less than 1000 gorillas left is very scary because it shows how close to extinction these gorillas. Actions need to be taken today if their is any hope for saving the virunga gorilla population.

Ryan O'Donnell

12/15/2014 09:00:58 am

The killings of these gorillas is really a tragedy. It's clear to see that these people had no real reason to kill these creatures. They killed the gorillas to make a political statement. I think people find these killings harder to take, since the gorillas are just trying to live in the wild and there is no real reason for their deaths. hopefully the story of these gorillas will start to get people trying to stop it.

Alyssa Lofaro

12/19/2014 09:28:41 am

The killings of these gorillas are truly awful and make no sense because there just trying to live there lives, just like humans are. Its horrible to think the great lengths some people will go through to kill these animals and to sell there fur/ meat on the black market. What's even more heartbreaking is these animals are right in the middle of a "gorilla war" and they have no say into what's happening around. I feel that if people are caught killing the animals or selling products from an animal they should be seeking harsh punishment, even though in most cases they do not.

Hannah Schrader

1/7/2015 02:15:31 am

I agree ,it's crazy to see what lengths people will go to , to get what they need even if it means doing something crazy and awful.

William Fridrich

1/19/2015 12:50:56 pm

Even worse is that the people who killed these animals reaped no reward of it. In the case of many other endangered species they are often killed for a certain body part that will then turn them profit. This was not the case with these killings. They were unfortunately done in cold blood, and the murders just as awful as they were intended to be.

Kyle Wilson

1/4/2015 05:59:00 am

In my opinion the killing of these gorillas is sick because the murderers had no real purpose to kill the gorillas. It is very unfortunate that these gorillas are stuck in the middle of a war because it makes it extremely difficult to even attempt to move them to a new home. Hats off to the rangers that dedicated their lives to protecting the gorillas.

Ryan Rattazzi

1/4/2015 10:38:13 pm

The cold-blooded murder of gorillas is inhumane. The fact that animals such as gorillas, sharks, and tigers will all one day be extinct due to them being hunted for an economic gain is repulsive. And unless we see the wrong we are doing, and the negative effect it will have, nothing will get better.

Hannah Schrader

1/7/2015 02:13:10 am

After watching this video it makes me think who would ever do anything like that? They are beautiful creatures and are knowingly endangered. What was the purpose for killing them? What did the person think was going to happen. It's just sick.

Sarah Walsh

1/9/2015 12:41:43 am

It's actually chilling to hear about this incident. The action of murdering the gorilla in and of itself is a heinous crime- an innocent and beautiful creature was murdered. But what makes it more frightening and more noteworthy then the usual crime of poaching is the intentions behind the killing. It was a political act, or, as they said at the end of the video "an assassination". This says a lot about the political unrest in Africa, which is something that is detrimental to our world as a whole because we are all one interconnected system and when their biodiversity is hurt, everybody's is. I think the problems in Africa are important for the environment and for human beings and that we must make a collective effort to improve present conditions.

Joseph Mullen

1/15/2015 07:33:14 am

You are right Sarah. Not only is Africa's problems important to the environment, but the environment's problems are important to Africa. Undoubtedly more conflict will arise in the region as natural resources are used, destroyed, and fought over. Unless the area's unrest can be put at ease, the Virunga gorillas and their natural habitat are competing against militias and armies for resources, and without people brave enough to make a change, they do not stand a chance

Olivia Kaczmarek

1/12/2015 10:41:21 am

The murders of these gorillas is such a tragedy. They are completely innocent beings, stuck in the wrong place; a war zone. I believe that people are so shocked and react so strongly to these killings because they are absolutely unwarranted. These gorillas are living, breathing beings and they are being killed for nothing more than a war over charcoal and money. I guess money is more important than a living being twosome people.

Joseph Mullen

1/15/2015 07:20:41 am

It is disturbing to learn about the hardships the Virunga gorillas face. It is awful that such a beautiful and endangered species can only be found in incredibly dangerous region of the world. What really disturbed me was that those gorillas were seemingly killed for the sake of being cruel to an endangered species. It is disgusting that people can be so cruel to such beautiful creatures. The gorillas are constantly under direct threat from poachers and militias, and loss of their habitat as the forest around them is turned into charcoal. The Virunga gorillas will not truly be safe until the conflict around them subsides, a substitute fuel for charcoal is found, and corruption is abated.

Evan D'Agostino

1/15/2015 09:07:05 am

Wonderful points being made here. I agree with you that the gorillas will not truly be safe until the conflict around them ends.

Evan D'Agostino

1/15/2015 09:08:42 am

It is crazy to see what people will do to send a message. The insensitivity they showed towards the gorillas is a horrific reality of what this world has come to. The fact that these gorillas are endangered as well makes you really think about what is going through the minds of the people behind this. These senseless killings are only going to get worse unless we start to educate people about these atrocities being committed.

Ryan Fargione

1/15/2015 09:30:06 am

it is so sad that these gorillas, just like many innocent people in these areas of political conflict were slain for no true purpose.

William Fridrich

1/19/2015 12:49:02 pm

There is only one word to describe the acts of these people: heartless. It is hard to see this act as being done for any reason. In fact, it was seemingly done for no reason at all; simply for the sake of killing. These people did not gain anything from doing it; not money, not food, not anything else. Clearly when desperation reaches a point where one can kill without any value for the life of what he or she is killing, there is a larger problem than the war. If their plan was to leave a message, what kind of message are they leaving? That we are so out of touch with nature that we will eradicate everything in our way,even if it is of no benefit to us? Killings like this are heartbreaking, and it is at least hopeful to see how a group of people can grow together because of this tragedy.

Isha Khawaja

1/20/2015 10:57:25 am

I believe the Virunga Gorilla murders were statement murders. There was no benefit for the murderers to kill an entire family and evidence showed that they just left the bodies there to rot and let the infants starve to death while clinging to their mothers corpse. These killings are absolutely ruthless because humans have an unfair advantage: guns. These were not mercy killings either; these endangered animals were shot multiple times in the chest and head. I think people did this to give a strong message to the rangers who were inevitably going to find the body. The government needs to clean up their corruption and enforce stricter laws. When the government becomes more legitimate, only then will the gorillas stop dying for this human conflict.

Alyssa Ruml

1/22/2015 10:35:39 am

I am completely sickened after reading this article and watching the video. I cannot believe that people think it's okay to murder not just one but MULTIPLE innocent animals. I really can't believe that this hasn't been global news; who thought this was a good idea? The gorillas have every right we have to live.

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