Bones recovered from gorilla slaughter

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Bones belonging to a mother gorilla, missing after a family of mountain gorillas slaughtered in July have been recovered.

Her infant has not been found, but wildlife officials are not optimistic of the young gorilla surviving.

The mother and infant were part of a 12 strong family of mountain gorillas, living in the north west of the Congo, which were attacked by gunmen in July with at least 4 confirmed shot dead at the time.

Sickeningly, it has been suggested that they were shot for the sake of it, as poachers would normally be expected to recover parts of the bodies for sale - something that did not happen here.

It is estimated that there are less than 400 mountain gorillas alive in the wild - and the death toll from human encroachment this year al already 9.

The plight of the mountain gorillas illustrates both the worst and the best about human beings - the worst in the wanton killing of an intelligent and endangered species, but the best in the heroic efforts of park rangers to put up with a difficult job in order to protect them, for all humanity.