Fifth Gorilla Birth in Uganda in 6 Weeks
Just when the country thought it had seen the last of the baby boomers for a while, a fifth gorilla birth in Uganda took place when a baby mountain gorilla was born this week in Buhoma located in the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Southwestern Uganda.
The Rushegura gorilla family welcomed the bouncing baby gorilla born to adult female Ruterana. The birth takes the tally of new births in the forest to 5 within the space of 6 weeks. This is Ruterana’s third offspring.
Ruterana was born January 1, 2002 – the same year that the Rushegura group was opened to visitors after a breakaway from Habinyanja two years prior. The splinter group was led by Mwirima, the agile silver back. Determined to start his own family, Mwirima has grown from a family of initially eight loyalists to eighteen strong.
“They have really taken advantage of the lockdown,” said a colleague on hearing the news.
Apes and primate parks remain closed to the public as the Uganda Wildlife Authority works to put in place Standard Operational Procedures for visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears the lockdown is quite conducive to gorilla birth in Uganda.
