A female mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park, located in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has given birth to rare twin babies, an unusual event among this endangered species.
Mountain gorillas are among the world’s rarest primates and are mainly found in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Experts say fewer than one percent of gorilla births result in twins, with most females giving birth to a single infant.
Photos released by Virunga National Park authorities show the mother gorilla carrying the two newborns. Park officials confirmed that both babies are male.
According to Méthode Uhoze, a senior official at Virunga National Park, the twin gorillas were born into the Bageni family, the largest gorilla group in the park, which consists of 59 individuals.
The park’s management announced that special monitoring measures have been put in place to closely observe the health and development of the twin gorillas to ensure their survival.
Virunga National Park’s communications director, Bienvenu Bwende, said the last recorded birth of gorilla twins in the park occurred in 2025.
