Mozambique: Ranger killed by suspected poachers in Gorongosa National Park

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Mozambique: Ranger killed by suspected poachers in Gorongosa National Park

5:52 CAT | 23 Jul 2025

File photo: Lusa

An armed group has killed a park ranger in Gorongosa National Park (PNG) in Sofala province, central Mozambique, said the park’s director, who believes the killers were poachers.

“We regret (…) that the ‘poachers’ killed our ranger the day before yesterday [Monday] (…). We assume that they are poachers,” said Pedro Magura, director of the PNG, pointing out that the suspects were armed and that after “the ambush,” the perpetrators fled.

Despite this incident, the director points to a reduction in poaching in that park in the centre of the country, but noted that it ‘has not stopped’.

“What I know is that, compared to previous years, poaching has decreased considerably,” added the park official.

In August 2024, the then head of state, Filipe Nyusi, highlighted the importance of the approximately 2,000 park rangers in Mozambique, lamenting the fact that in the previous year two of these professionals had been killed by poachers, both in Gorongosa National Park.

“The ranger is a hero. But he is a silent hero who ensures harmony in our protected areas,” Nyusi concluded at the time.

Gorongosa was Portugal’s first national park in 1960, during the colonial era, and was torn apart between 1977 and 1992 by the civil war that followed Mozambique’s independence.

In 2008, Greg Carr’s foundation signed a 20-year management agreement with the Mozambican government – extended for another 25 years in 2018 – which has led to its renovation on several fronts, with social projects linked to conservation and the number of animals growing from 10,000 to more than 102,000.

The park has 1,700 employees, including seasonal workers and a team of nature rangers who work throughout the territory, where Gorongosa coffee and honey are now produced for export, providing an income for thousands of families.

Source: Lusa