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UN team probes mountain gorilla shooting deaths in DRC
Kinshasa (AFP) Aug 18, 2007 A joint mission of several UN agencies is conducting an emergency investigation into the shooting of endangered mountain gorillas in a Democratic Republic of Congo national park, UNESCO said Saturday. In the last two months, seven of the primates have been killed in separate incidents in the Virunga park in northeastern DRC, a World Heritage site and tourist attraction, the United Nations cultural agency said. The mission is being mounted by UNESCO, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the UN Environmental Programme and the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). "Working with local authorities and partners in the field, the members of the mission will investigate the reasons for the targeting of the mountain gorillas whose population in the park is estimated at 370 (out of a total of 700 mountain gorillas worldwide)," UNESCO said. It called the "apparently senseless slaughter" of gorillas in Virunga "a blow for the preservation of mountain gorillas and a setback for conservation efforts at the World Heritage site." On the basis of its findings, the mission will propose measures for the protection of the mountain gorillas and for the improvement of the conservation of the site. "There is grave concern for the mountain gorillas as the latest killings are inexplicable: they do not correspond to traditional poaching where animals are killed for commercial purposes," UNESCO said. "Furthermore the killings have taken place despite the increased guard patrols and the presence of military forces in the area." The UN mission in the DRC, known as MONUC, says the preservation of the country's natural resources are vital for the economy and the income of local people, thanks in particular to tourism. UNESCO said that "in view of the fact that the five World Heritage sites of the DRC have had to be placed on the World Heritage in Danger List, and of the recent deterioration in Virunga," it plans a high-level meeting in the autumn to examine ways to improve the situation. bbos/mb/jj Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com
First Votes In 2008 US Election ... Could Be In 2007
Washington (AFP) Aug 09, 2007The first votes in the marathon US 2008 presidential election could be cast in 2007, if key state South Carolina, as expected, Thursday tips the compressed nominating calendar into deeper turmoil. Traditionally, every four years, beginning nine months before presidential elections held in November, the Democratic and Republican parties go from state to state holding primary contests and caucuses to chose a nominee. |
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