The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

[Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>]

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.