Mountain gorilla baby born to Bikingi group
The Bikingi mountain gorilla group has welcomed its newest member – a new-born baby.
Rangers patrolling Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park first spotted the tiny infant clinging to mother Mucecuru on Sunday (4 February) though it’s believed that she had been born two days earlier.
While keeping their distance, rangers have managed to capture a single photo of mother and baby and confirm that both are doing well.
This new birth brings the total number of mountain gorillas in the Bikingi family to nine individuals. The baby’s father, silverback Kaharata, leads the thriving group, which is habituated to tourists and closely monitored by rangers and conservationists.
The news has been celebrated by the whole of the conservation community. With many of the people living alongside the Bwindi National Park also reliant on tourism for their livelihoods, the news also brings renewed hope for the year ahead.
Gorilla Organization Director Jillian Miller says: “We are so thrilled to see the mountain gorillas of Bwindi go from strength-to-strength. The birth of a new baby to the Bikingi group is cause for great celebration. But baby gorillas are incredibly delicate and now more than ever we need to support the rangers protecting them.”
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