Two mountain gorilla babies have been born in Uganda. The boys were born in late April and early May in the Bwindi Rainforest, a national park in the southwest of the country. This was announced by the Ugandan wildlife agency UWA.
According to Ugandan media, the monkeys were born in different gorilla groups. According to UWA, it is still unclear whether the offspring are females or males.
The mountain gorillas are threatened with extinction, there are only about a thousand animals left in the world. According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), however, the population has recovered somewhat in recent years compared to previous years.
Animal welfare breaks down revenues
The good news comes at a difficult time for animal welfare. Due to the Corona crisis, flights have been suspended worldwide and borders have been closed, so that the tourism revenues, which are extremely important for animal welfare, are not lost. Rangers are paid for by this.
“We are fighting to preserve animal and conservation,” said Wildlife Agency spokesman Bashir Hangi. Illegal activity in the park has increased since the start of the pandemic. “We have confiscated many traps and snares from poachers.”
Mountain gorillas live only in this area on the border of Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo. The monkeys are not kept in zoos or zoos – with one exception: A station in the Virunga National Park in Congo is the only one to date where some orphaned babies of the species are raised.
