A remarkably rare event has just been recorded in Virunga National Park, where a female mountain gorilla, an endangered species, gave birth to twins. This is the second such case observed in the space of two months in this iconic reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to experts, less than 1% of mountain gorilla pregnancies result in twins, making this event of major scientific and symbolic importance. The two newborns, both males, were spotted last Saturday by a team of trackers monitoring the primates. Enhanced protection measures were immediately implemented to increase their chances of survival.
"Despite the challenges, life triumphs," the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation, which administers the country's national parks, celebrated on social media, accompanying its message with a photograph of the mother holding her two cubs close.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Virunga National Park, established in 1925, is the oldest protected natural area on the African continent. Spanning nearly 7,800 km² on the border between Rwanda and Uganda, it harbors exceptional biodiversity, but remains fragile due to decades of armed conflict.
Part of its territory is under the influence of the M23 rebel movement, supported by Rwanda according to several sources, while other forested areas serve as a refuge for fighters of the Allied Democratic Forces. This precarious security situation considerably complicates conservation efforts.
Today, the number of mountain gorillas living in the wild is estimated at just over 1,000, including around 350 in Virunga in 2021. Eight births had already been recorded in the park in 2025, a sign of encouraging reproductive dynamics for this iconic species.
