Militia massacres rangers, 13 endangered okapi at Congo wildlife reserve

  Two wildlife rangers were among the six people killed during brazen attack on a wildlife facility by a militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo last Sunday. 13 endangered okapi were slaughtered during the early morning raid, which was reportedly a response to a crackdown on illegal elephant poaching and gold mining inside the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

The attack was led by Mai Mai Simba rebels, according to the Okapi Conservation Project, which runs Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The militia destroyed buildings and equipment at the facility, which is shared by the Institute in the Congo for Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and the Okapi Conservation Project. Computers, phones, medical supplies, food, and other gear were stolen.

The dead include two ICCN rangers, the wife of one of the rangers, an immigration worker, and 2 residents of Epulu, the town where the attack took place.

Read more at http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0629-okapi-massacre.html#HbRiZffIOsqr48Wd.99