And rangers in Kahusi Biega National Park, close to the Rwandan border, say 20 of them have been slaughtered since April this year.

The BBC's Cathy Jenkins: Rangers cannot do a census because of the war

They say the poachers are villagers who live inside the park and hunt the animals for meat.

About 300 elephants out of 350 have also reportedly been killed along with untold numbers of antelope.

When the park was created in 1970, there were 272 mountain gorillas.

Rangers say it is impossible to carry out a full census because of the war, which is badly affecting the area.

But the park's chief conservationist, Germain Mankoto, said trackers who know the gorilla families well had counted 94 gorillas killed since 1996.

The slaughtered gorillas are believed to include the silverback Mushamuka, who featured in the 1988 movie, Gorillas in the Mist, about American researcher Dian Fossey.

Park director Norbert Mushenzi said: "We cannot say exactly how many remain, but one thing is sure, there has been carnage.

"Sometimes we find only the remains, the skulls. We hunt the poachers with the aid of the military. Sometimes we catch them cooking chunks of gorilla."

Tourist attraction

Before the area became so unstable, the gorillas were a tourist attraction.

But the 1.5 million-acre park was closed to visitors a year ago after Rwandan-backed rebels took up arms against Congolese President Laurent Kabila. It is the third rebellion in the area since 1996.

Reports say the animal reserve is now struggling to pay its guards and guides whose guns and uniforms have been stolen by government and rebel soldiers.

Corrupt officials are also said to be raising cattle on park land, depriving gorillas of precious habitat.