In brief
Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo has welcomed the birth of twin mountain gorillas, a very rare occurrence for this endangered species. The mother, 22-year-old Mafuko, will be closely monitored by park staff to ensure the twins' survival, amid growing conservation successes as numbers slowly increase. Given the threats from poachers and armed conflicts, these births represent significant hope for biodiversity preservation and highlight the park's crucial role in protecting these magnificent animals.
A pair of twin mountain gorillas has been born in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo - a rare occurrence for the endangered primates, conservationists at Virunga National Park say.
The community trackers, who discovered 22-year-old Mafuko hugging her newborns on Saturday, reported that the mother and her two baby sons appeared healthy.
Twin births among mountain gorillas account for only about 1% of all births, emphasizing the rarity of this event.
Virunga, Africa's oldest national park and located in a conflict-prone area, was established to protect mountain gorillas, of which there are fewer than 1,100 remaining in the wild.
They are found only in Virunga and neighbouring national parks in Rwanda and Uganda, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The last twin birth in Virunga took place in September 2020. Mafuko herself gave birth to twins in 2016, but tragically lost them within a week.
As mountain gorillas are vulnerable to their environment, including poaching and armed groups, park authorities have implemented additional monitoring and protection measures for the new family.
Gorilla pregnancies last about eight-and-a-half months, and females usually have one infant every four years. Mafuko's story is particularly poignant; born in 2003, she lost her mother to armed conflict when she was just four years old.
Despite these challenges, she has survived and thrived in Virunga, where she has given birth five times.
Recent conservation efforts, including anti-poaching patrols supported by the European Union and UNESCO, have led to a gradual increase in mountain gorilla populations in Virunga, with their status having improved from 'critically endangered' to 'endangered' in 2018.
Virunga spans 7,800 sq km, presenting a stunning array of ecosystems, contributing to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and underscoring the importance of preserving its natural biodiversity.
