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

Thank you for bringing attention to the recent tragedy surrounding the four mountain gorillas brutally killed in Congo. We thought readers might be interested to know more about the welfare of the infant gorilla found clinging to its dead mother. Veterinarians from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project took the 5-month-old female named Ndeze to a facility in Goma, where she is being closely monitored with the help of experts from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Veterinarians are very optimistic that she will pull through. Unfortunately, Ndeze's story is all too common in Congo. The MGVP and DFGFI are also caring for another infant mountain gorilla whose mother was shot dead with an AK-47 in June. With only about 700 mountain gorillas remaining, this senseless violence must be stopped, or we risk losing these wonderful, gentle creatures forever. The MGVP, headquartered at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, is one of a few conservation programs in the world to provide health care and treatment to an endangered species in its natural habitat. To learn more on how to help mountain gorillas, visit mgvp.org.

Dr. Mike Cranfield