Earth Science News
FLORA AND FAUNA
Rare gorilla twins born in conflict-hit DR Congo nature park

Rare gorilla twins born in conflict-hit DR Congo nature park

by AFP Staff Writers
Kinshasa (AFP) Jan 8, 2026

An endangered mountain gorilla has given birth to twins in the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, whose remarkable biodiversity has long been threatened by the region's litany of conflicts.

Fewer than one percent of mountain gorilla pregnancies result in twins, according to scientists, with the DRC recording a previous case in 2020, also in the UNESCO-listed Virunga reserve.

"The two newborns are both male," park official Methode Uhoze told AFP by phone on Thursday.

"Despite the challenges, life triumphs," the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, which manages the DRC's national parks, said on social media, posting a photo of the mother with the two minuscule babies in her arms.

According to wardens, a team of trackers spotted the twins on Saturday, with monitoring and protection measures in force to increase their chances of survival.

The Virunga park, which was inaugurated in 1925, holds the distinction of being Africa's oldest nature reserve.

Stretching across 7,800 square kilometres (around 3,000 square miles) near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda, the reserve includes territory controlled by the M23 militia.

The M23 has seized swathes of the Congolese east with Rwanda's backing, and has expanded its influence in the region in recent months.

Virunga's forests are also believed to have been used as a hideout by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group.

Just over 1,000 mountain gorillas are estimated to live in the wild.

According to the reserve's authorities, the Virunga park was home to 350 of the great apes in 2021.

Eight other mountain gorilla births were registered in Virunga in 2025, according to park spokesman Bienvenu Bwende.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FLORA AND FAUNA
Greenland shark study may lead to new ways to preserve vision as we age
Irvine CA (SPX) Jan 06, 2026
Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk sits in her office, eyes fixed on the computer monitor in front of her. "You see it move its eye," says the UC Irvine associate professor of physiology and biophysics, pointing to an image of a Greenland shark slowly drifting through the murky Arctic Ocean. "The shark is tracking the light - it's fascinating." The video shows the longest-living vertebrate in the world - long, thick, grey body; small head; and short, rounded snout - with opaque eyes that appear lifeless, ... read more

FLORA AND FAUNA
Japan nuclear plant operator may have underestimated quake risks

'I can't walk anymore': Afghans freeze to death on route to Iran

'Shivering from cold and fear': winter rains batter displaced Gazans

Thais, Cambodians fear returning home despite border truce

FLORA AND FAUNA
From music to mind reading: AI startups bet on earbuds

New tool narrows the search for ideal material structures

Nostalgia and new fans as Tamagotchi turns 30

Chlorine and hydrogen from waste brines without external power

FLORA AND FAUNA
Hydrogen from organic carbon in deep sediment hosted hydrothermal systems

Conservationists sue Trump admin over inaction on horseshoe crabs

2025 warmest year on record in North Sea: German maritime agency

'Tuna King' pays record $3.2 mn for bluefin at Tokyo auction

FLORA AND FAUNA
Dogsleds, China and independence: Facts on Greenland

Ancient Antarctica reveals a 'one-two punch' behind ice sheet collapse

Oligocene deep ocean temperatures drove isotope swings in Antarctic climate record

Three hurt in polar bear attack in remote Siberian villag

FLORA AND FAUNA
Drone phenomics sharpen genetic signals and automate field trait extraction in maize and peanut breeding

Ticking time bomb: Some farmers report as many as 70 tick encounters over a 6-month period

Black carbon from straw burning limits antibiotic resistance in plastic mulched fields

Australia 'disappointed' with China's beef tariffs

FLORA AND FAUNA
Indonesia flood kills 16, displaces hundreds

6.4 quake strikes off southern Philippines; No major damage from Japan thumper

6.5-magnitude quake shakes Mexico City and beach resort, killing two

France's Reunion warns of 'probable or imminent' volcanic eruption

FLORA AND FAUNA
China's Xi congratulates Guinea junta chief on election win

Strike blamed on DR Congo army kills six in M23-occupied east

Sudanese trek through mountains to escape Kordofan fighting

Ivory Coast ruling party set for election landslide: early results

FLORA AND FAUNA
Moroccan fossils trace ancient African branch near origin of Homo sapiens

Socializing alone: The downside of communication technology

Chinese villagers win battle against forced cremation after protests

Climate driven model explores Neanderthal and modern human overlap in Iberia

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.