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  • From: Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Monkeywire <monkeywire AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [monkeywire] Rare twins born to mountain gorillas
  • Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 08:36:50 -0700 (PDT)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5770168/

Rare twins born to mountain gorillas
Endangered apes number fewer than 400

By Rodrique Ngowi
The Associated Press

Updated: 9:37 a.m. ET Aug. 23, 2004

VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Rwanda - The gorilla glanced suspiciously at the
eight
approaching humans, then turned her back on them to protect what she was
holding. A male
as heavy as two shot-putters emerged from the bushes, sat down about 10 paces
from the
visitors, and let out a deep growl.

The treasure these two rare giants were guarding was a pair of baby twins —
only the
third ever recorded.

We froze in our tracks. Among the world's endangered mountain gorillas, the
37-member
Susa troop is the largest that's accustomed to tourists, but any sudden
movement could
still provoke them.

Our Rwandan guide responded with a growl to assure the gorillas we were
friendly.
Everyone, gorillas and humans, relaxed. And soon enough, a young gorilla was
helping
Nyabitondore, the mother, groom the babies — a bonding ritual among the
gentle, playful
titans of the Karisimbi Mountain.

'Every birth is crucial'
There are no mountain gorillas in captivity, and all of them — just 380 at
last count —
live in central Africa, the adults eating up to 70 pounds a day of bamboo
shoots, wild
celery, nettles and ants.

Since the middle of last year, gorilla troops have produced 14 other babies,
and the
birth of the twins in May has delighted conservation experts.

"Every birth is crucial to the genetic viability of the mountain gorillas,
and the birth
of twins is an exceptional event," said Fidelle Ruzigandekwa, head of the
Rwanda Wildlife
Agency. "It is like a miracle because the primates are threatened with
extinction."

But the joy is tinged with concern. "The mother is doing fine up to now. She
manages to
feed and handle them quite well," Ruzigandekwa explained. "But caring for the
babies will
become more difficult as the twins grow older, heavier, stronger and more
active."

Until 12-year-old Nyabitondore weans them at age 4, she will be fiercely
protective,
carrying them on her arms or back partly to protect them from wild dogs,
hyenas and other
forest predators.

Other twins died
In 1986, the first recorded pair of twins died after just nine days.

Of the second pair, born in 1991, one infant died within a month. The other
survived to
adulthood, only to be killed by poachers attempting to steal a baby gorilla
in 2002.
Gorilla troops are ferociously protective of their young and poachers often
have to kill
mothers and other adults to steal babies.

Nyabitondore appeared blissfully unaware of the odds against her as she held
the babies
with one hand and fed herself with the other.

Not far from the mother, a baby gorilla climbed up a tree, looked our way and
thumped his
chest, trying to produce the sharp clapping sound made by agitated mature
gorillas, who
have chests of tough, bare skin.

But the youngster's chest was still covered with hair and he could produce
only a faint
thud. As though embarrassed, he hid his face against a tree trunk.


Multinational gorillas
Volcanoes National Park, Africa's first, was established by Rwanda's Belgian
colonial
rulers in 1925 after Carl Akeley of the American Museum of Natural History
made a plea to
protect the gorillas.

It lies on the Rwandan side of a mountain range that straddles the borders of
Rwanda,
Congo and Uganda. Adjacent parks in Congo and Uganda are both known as
Virunga National
Park. The three parks are home to the world's entire mountain gorilla
population.

A census conducted late last year found that the number was up 17 percent
since the last
count 15 years ago.

"To see the mother and twins makes you realize that although these animals
are extremely
powerful, they also have the nurturing side like humans," said Robert
Harrison, a tourist
from Los Angeles.

"Tracking this group was much more difficult than I anticipated, but the
sight also
exceeded my expectations," he said. To be so close to a gorilla, he said,
"makes you feel
extraordinarily alive."

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may
not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



  • [monkeywire] Rare twins born to mountain gorillas, Josh Greenman, 08/23/2004

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