Conservationists in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are celebrating the rare birth of twin mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest protected area.
Image of a baby mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park used for illustrative purposes/Cai Tjeenk Willink/Wikimedia Commons
According to the BBC, community trackers discovered the newborns on Saturday, finding 22-year-old female Mafuko cradling her two baby sons. Rangers say the mother and both infants appear healthy, an encouraging sign for one of the world’s most endangered primates.
Twin births are exceptionally rare among mountain gorillas and are believed to account for approximately one per cent of all births, although comprehensive data are limited.
Virunga National Park is situated in a conflict-affected region of the DRC and was established over a century ago to protect the mountain gorillas. Fewer than 1,100 remain in the wild, with populations restricted to Virunga and neighbouring national parks in Rwanda and Uganda, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The last recorded birth of mountain gorilla twins in Virunga occurred in September 2020. Mafuko herself gave birth to twins in 2016, but both infants died within a week, underscoring how vulnerable young gorillas are in their earliest days.
Infant gorillas depend entirely on their mothers for nourishment, protection and transport. This dependence makes the first months particularly dangerous in an environment threatened by poaching and the presence of armed groups.
Park authorities say enhanced monitoring and protection measures have been put in place to safeguard the family during this critical period. Rangers will closely observe Mafuko and her twins and intervene if necessary.
Mountain gorilla pregnancies last about eight-and-a-half months, with females typically giving birth to a single infant every four years.
Mafuko’s own life story reflects the resilience of the species. Born in 2003 into the Kabirizi family, she lost her mother to armed attackers at the age of four. She later joined the Bageni family and has since been pregnant and given birth five times.
Conservationists at Virunga, a Unesco World Heritage Site, say the birth of the twins represents a meaningful boost for ongoing protection efforts. Thanks to sustained anti-poaching patrols and community conservation programmes supported by the European Union and UNESCO, mountain gorilla numbers in the park have slowly increased over the past decade.
This progress led to the species being reclassified from “critically endangered” to “endangered” on the IUCN Red List in 2018.
Spanning 7,800 square kilometres, Virunga is one of Africa’s most biodiverse protected areas, encompassing active volcanoes, vast lakes, dense rainforests and towering mountain ranges.
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