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Virunga Confirms Rare Twin Male Gorillas Born to Mafuko

Park staff are stepping up monitoring to support the newborns through their vulnerable early months.

Overview

  • Virunga National Park confirmed the birth of two male twins to Mafuko, with both infants appearing healthy at the time they were observed.
  • Community trackers discovered the newborns on Jan. 3 in the Bageni family during routine monitoring.
  • The births raise the Bageni family to 59 individuals, the largest gorilla group in the park.
  • Mafuko, 22, has now had seven offspring and previously lost a set of twins a week after birth in 2016.
  • Mountain gorillas number roughly 1,000 across the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, while parts of Virunga face rebel control and forest loss that complicate conservation.