A temporary, 30-ranger gorilla-protection force has been deployed in the troubled African park where at least five mountain gorillas were killed, execution style, in July.The emergency measure is intended to end the attacks on endangered gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Virunga National Park.
A permanent gorilla-protection unit, totaling some 50 rangers, is also being established for the park.
That force is expected to be in place later this year, following several months of ranger training.
"We are currently in a situation of high risk and enormous threat since the killing of the gorillas last month," said Norbert Mushenzi, the park official now in charge of the southern sector of Virunga, where the attacks took place.
"We have now lost nine gorillas since the beginning of the year," he said. "We have not been faced with such a crisis in many years."
There was good news today, however, as the Virunga rangers announced that Bilali, the only female from the Munyaga family of gorillas, has given birth.
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