MAIL CALL: The Mysterious Killings of Great Apes.(Congo)(Letter to the editor)

Readers were horrified and many moved to tears by our cover story and accompanying photos on the slaughter of four endangered gorillas in Congo. One said, "Wild animals threatened with extinction from indiscriminate and unsustainable hunting, slaughter for body parts and meat is beyond tragic." Others wrote to express their grief. "[Looking at your photos] I shared in the reverence of the people as they brought these magnificent animals to rest. I closed the magazine knowing that these creatures were loved and respected." Another added, "Those images will stay with me for a long time." Some cited the dedication of the park rangers charged with patrolling vast tracts of jungle, calling it "awe-inspiring." We also heard from those who asked for a distinction between "lawful ethical hunters who are the most consistent conservationists, and lawbreakers who would commit such a crime." Still, one reader, so disturbed by the wanton killings and feeling the need to do something, wrote, "After getting no sleep last night, the first thing I did was become a member of the Nature Conservancy.

A Gorilla Tragedy in Congo

I've been reading NEWSWEEK for 20-plus years, through the explosion of the space-shuttle Challenger, the fall of the Berlin wall, 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Only now do I feel compelled to get out of my chair and write. My heart is broken over the mass murder of the silverback gorilla and his family ("Slaughter in the Jungle," Aug. 6). Perhaps because I am now a mother, or perhaps just because I am human, I'm at a loss, and feel helpless over the death of these grand, incredible creatures who are obviously not as savage as their human brothers and sisters.

Laurie Hines Ackermann

Arlington, Texas