Endangered Mountain Gorilla Welcomes First Infant in Virunga National Park
Ndala, a 12-year-old gorilla, has given birth to her first son, marking a significant event for the species' conservation.
Ndala, a 12-year-old endangered mountain gorilla, has given birth to her first baby, seen for the first time on October 6 at Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This birth is the second recorded within the Humba family group this year and the sixteenth among gorillas being monitored in the Mikeno sector since January. Photographs capture Ndala tenderly holding her newborn son, who appears to be sleeping soundly on her chest. In another image, she is seen calmly chewing on bamboo while keeping the infant close.
The Humba group now comprises 19 individuals: one silverback, one blackback, five adult females, three subadults, and nine juveniles and infants.
Mountain gorillas are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with an estimated wild population of 1,075. Field teams at Virunga National Park will continue to closely monitor Ndala and her infant during the critical early weeks of the newborn's life.
