Overview
- Community trackers documented the births on January 3 in the Bageni family, confirming both infants are male and appeared healthy at first observation.
- The arrivals raise the Bageni group to 59 individuals, which Virunga National Park identifies as its largest gorilla family.
- Virunga officials note twin births are uncommon in mountain gorillas and present care and transport challenges for the mother, prompting added monitoring and protection.
- Mafuko, a 22-year-old female now with seven offspring, previously delivered twins in 2016 who died a week after birth, according to park records.
- Conservationists highlight that Virunga operates in a conflict-affected landscape with rebel presence and forest loss, even as the global mountain gorilla population has grown to just over 1,000 with 44 habituated families across the region.