GOMA, DR Congo —
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park has announced the birth of a male gorilla, the first baby this year. The park authorities announced this great news to the world. The mountain gorillas have been instrumental in raising the awareness about threatened mountain gorillas, great apes that are only found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The park said that this is the first baby born to 10 year-old Bazirushaka and is the 12th member of the Lulengo family. The newborn was discovered by rangers on Thursday during a routine check in the park.
The Virunga National Park is home to some of the world’s last mountain gorillas whose population now stands at more than 1,000. There were 17 gorilla births in the park last year, it said.
The announcement comes about a month after the park said that gunmen shot and killed at least six rangers in the park in Nyamitwitwi, located in the Rutshuru area.
More than 200 rangers have been killed since Virunga became a national park in 1925, officials say.
