Mountain gorilla populations in Virunga have flourished in recent years, and the continued health of the Rugendo family is something to celebrate. In 2007 the family was victim of an unthinkable crime. Five adults, including silver back Senkwekwe, were murdered by armed men. It was an incredibly dark time for the park. Following the massacre, the park’s rangers kept a close eye on what was left of the family, carefully monitoring their health and behaviour. Now, ten years later, it is amazing to see how much they have overcome.
The family has grown to ten members. In early October 2016, a new baby was born to Bagambe, a young female originally from the Lulengo family. According to Gorilla Doctor Martin Kabuyaya, who visited them last week, the entire group is thriving. There are now two females of childbearing age and another, Buzara, who was recruited from the Mapuwa family, nearing adulthood.
NEW BABY GORILLA BORN
The growth of this family has been dependent on interactions between gorilla families. Though these interactions are only occasional, and can be violent between dominant males, they are a key opportunity for females from larger groups to move to smaller groups. This not only benefits families like Rugendo, but assures the health and well being of the species as a whole because it helps diversify the gene pool. Interactions also prevent large concentrations of gorillas from forming within in a single family, which can help slow disease transmission during outbreaks.
The continued health of Virunga’s mountain gorillas ultimately hinges on the efforts of the rangers and the Gorilla Doctors. If you would like to support their work, please click on following links: http://www.rwandagorillasafaris.net/ that run gorilla safaris in Rwanda and taking travelers to visit the Gorilla Doctor facilities and experience the gorilla conservation.
Southern Sector Warden, Innocent Mburanumwe is pleased to announce there has been another birth in the Bageni family. On March 20th, rangers discovered the newborn clinging to its mother, Karibu. Rangers haven’t been able to determine the baby’s gender yet, but we will keep you posted. This is Karibu’s second child. Her first, Assani, was born in 2013.
For those of you who haven’t been following recent events in the Bageni family, this is especially good news because Mafuko lost both of her newborn twins back in mid-October. Thankfully, females Rwubaka and Gato gave birth shortly after the passing of the twins. With the addition of Karibu’s new baby, the family now has 27 members.
The continuing growth and strength of the Bageni and other mountain gorillas families is reliant upon the ongoing protection of Virunga’s park rangers.
The park is undertaking an ambitious fundraising campaign, with the hopes of raising $1 million for the families of rangers who have given their lives in service to the park, and you can find out more about this effort in this blog from Virunga’s Chief Warden, Emmanuel de Merode.
Every donation made to the park until the 27th of April is being matched, and so this is a fantastic opportunity to support the men and women who protect Virunga’s critically-endangered mountain gorillas and other wildlife.
