Ray of Hope as Virunga National Park Welcomes 2 Baby Gorillas

The birth of a baby is always seen as a sign of hope and brings unexplainable happiness and this is what is being experienced with the birth of two baby gorillas in Congo’s Virunga National Park. This great news was announced by Park Authorities on Twitter, a development that will so much boost the population of these endangered Great Apes.

Given the “endangered” status of mountain gorillas, conservationists and Park Authorities have for so many years been on the lookout for solutions to the challenges facing mountain gorillas. Based on statistics, it is evident that strides taken towards the protection of Virunga’s mountain gorilla population are yielding positive results. The two baby gorillas, a male from the Wilungula group as well as a female from the Humba Group were born on 15^th November. Little information is provided for the former but for the latter, she was born to Kanyalire hence bringing the number of group members to 15 individuals.

The population of endangered mountain gorillas has grown almost five times more in the last four decades within the three countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda) where they are found. According to Virunga National Park statistics, there were only about fifty-eight mountain gorillas in the early 1980s, which then increased to about one hundred and thirty-one individuals in 2000, two hundred and one gorillas in 2010, and about two hundred eighty-six gorillas in the last Census of 2016. This tremendous growth is one of the reasons why their status was elevated from “critically endangered” to “endangered” in November 2018. As of mid-2021, the population of mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park is estimated to be around three hundred and fifty individuals. Park Authorities attribute this growth to extreme conservation policies implored such as frequent gorilla tracking by veterinary personnel, Rangers, and Trackers. These achievements were recorded, against all odds such as constant attacks from armed groups operating in the Eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The November arrivals bring the number of newborn gorillas to sixteen since January and the next transboundary Census is scheduled for 2022.

Conservation efforts have a tremendous financial cost, in addition to the ecological challenges of the Giant Apes being large in a region faced with high population density, serious political instability as well as high poverty levels.

About Virunga mountain gorillas

The population of Virunga Mountain gorillas currently stands at about 350 individuals, with several gorilla groups of which about 8 have been habituated for trekking. These gorillas occupy the dense forests on the steep slopes of the Virunga Mountains, within an altitude of 2500 to 4000 meters above sea level. Temperatures of their natural habitats sometimes drop below freezing point and it is their thicker, longer and darker fur that makes them survive in such an unpleasant environment.

Virunga Mountain Gorillas are generally social beings that live and travel in well-knit groups of five to thirty individuals headed by a dominant silverback. Other members in the group are adult females, sub-adult females, blackbacks, several silverbacks, juveniles, and infants. As of 2021, only 8 habituated gorilla groups live in Virunga National Park and they include Mapuwa, Humba, Bageni, Kabirizi, Munyanga, Rugendo, Nyakamwe, and Lulengo.

Gorilla Permits for trekking Virunga Mountain Gorillas

Gorilla Permits for trekking Virunga Mountain Gorillas cost only $400 per person and can be booked from ICCN Head Offices in Goma Town or Virunga Offices in Grande Barriere Border building on the Gisenyi-Goma Border. These permits have to be processed at least 3-4 months in advance, together with the Congo Tourist Visa to book your place among the 8 habituated gorilla groups.