AFP-JIJI

Rare Gorilla Twins Born in Democratic Republic of Congo Nature Park

Virunga National Park / Handout via Reuters
Mafuko, a female mountain gorilla from the Bageni family, holds her newly born twins at the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in this undated handout picture released on Jan. 7.

AFP-Jiji

13:46 JST, January 23, 2026

KINSHASA (AFP-Jiji) — 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 1% 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 Jan. 8.

“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 Jan. 3, 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.