A man who claimed that he killed Rafiki, the most beloved gorilla in Uganda, has been sentenced to serve 11 years in jail.

The man, who says he did it in self-defense, pleaded guilty in committing the crime.

Felix Byamukama said that he killed Rafiki when the 25-year-old silverback gorilla attacked him.

Felix pleaded guilty to illegally entering a protected area and killing a gorilla.

He also killed a small antelope, known as a duiker, and a bush pig.

It is said that the killer previously told the UWA that he and 3 others went to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with the intention of hunting smaller animals.

Rafiki went missing on June 1, 2020.

His body was found on June 2, a day later.

A post mortem found that the gorilla sustained an injury by a sharp object that penetrated its left upper part of the abdomen up to the internal organs.

Authorities ended up tracking the killer.

They found Byamukama in a nearby village, where authorities found hunting equipment, which was used in killing the animal.

The 3 other jailed men have denied the charges.

They are awaiting trial.

Felix will serve several sentences concurrently, which ends up in 11 years of jail time.

Experts said that Felix avoided a maximum sentence because he was not tried in a special wildlife court.

Rafiki was the leader of a group of 17 mountain gorillas that were described as habituated, which means that they were used to having contact with human beings.