Virunga National Park Records Second Set of Rare Mountain Gorilla Twins in Three Months
Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded a second set of mountain gorilla twins within three months, following the first pair discovered in January 2026. The latest twins - a boy and a girl - were born into the Baraka family group, a troop of 19 gorillas living in the park's rainforest. Twin births among mountain gorillas are exceptionally rare, accounting for just 1% of all recorded births. Laura Parker, Head of Conservation Programmes at Virunga National Park, described the discovery as generating "a real sense of joy across the team" when rangers made the find.
The births represent a significant moment for mountain gorilla conservation, a species that numbered as few as 250 individuals in the wild during the 1970s. Sustained conservation efforts have driven a steady population recovery, with numbers surpassing 1,000 by 2018 - prompting the species' reclassification from "critically endangered" to "endangered" on the IUCN Red List. Park rangers are providing support to the mother and her newborns, while the wider troop has also shown protective behaviour towards the new arrivals. For the tourism industry, the continued recovery of mountain gorilla populations underpins the long-term viability of gorilla trekking experiences in the region, a key draw for high-value conservation tourism across Central Africa.
Source: BBC
