UN Eyes Congo After Gorilla Murders

Four mountain gorillas were shot to death in a nature preserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and UNESCO is flying in to help with the unsolved crime, CNN reports. The massacre of an alpha male and three females follows the recent killing of three other mountain gorillas—only 700 of which exist worldwide.

The death of the alpha male leaves the group, which was originally 12, in disarray. Two others—a female and an infant—are missing. The killings are thought to be the work of a rebel leader. The animals were  a significant attraction for tourists, and their death was called an economic blow to the region. (More Democratic Republic of Congo stories.)