Mountain Gorilla Baby Boom

Virunga National Park is in the midst of a baby boom. Located right across the border from Uganda, the legendary Congo reserve has witnessed the birth of four mountain gorillas since mid October.

Mafuko, a mother from the Bageni family, gave birth to twins, an extreme rare event in the gorilla world. Neither one of the infants survived more than a few days. But two other mountain gorillas were born in Virunga in the weeks that followed and were doing well in mid November. Reports reaching Adventure Consults indicate that both appear to be in good health and the mothers are doing a sterling job in feeding and providing for them. According to trackers following their every move, the baby gorillas are suckling well.

The Bageni family lives only a few kilometers from Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park and it’s believed the group was originally part of the big Nyakagezi gorilla family at Mgahinga that split a few years ago, with some members crossing into the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As mountain gorillas are critically endangered with less than 900 left in the world, the newborns have brought excitement and fresh hope to the entire conservation world that the wild gorilla population will continue to grow. “This was a sad series of events, but thankfully, hope was restored,” Virunga program officer Robert Williams posted on the park website.
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