Nature
PUBLISHED
The Democratic Republic of the Congo welcomed the new year with the birth of twin mountain gorillas, an exceptionally rare phenomenon among great apes.
The newborn pair, both males, came into the world on January 3, 2026, at Virunga National Park in the forested foothills of the Rwenzori and Virunga Mountains. Both appear to be in good health, and rangers are intensifying their monitoring and protection efforts during their crucial first weeks.
Twins are exceptional in primates, including humans (don't forget we are great apes too). Approximately 3 percent of human births are twins globally, and that figure is thought to be even lower in gorillas.
The twins are part of the Bageni family. Already the largest family in the park, the latest birth raises their numbers to 59 individuals.
Their mother, Mafuko, has given birth to a total of seven newborns, including another set of twins in 2016, although this pair passed away just one week after birth. She was originally part of the Kabirizi family. After armed humans killed her mother in June 2007, she stayed with the family alongside her sister Tumaini. In January 2013, the Kabirizis split, and Mafuko joined the Bageni family.
The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is a subspecies of the eastern gorilla. With just a few hundred individuals in the wild, they’re listed as “endangered” by the IUCN Red List.
“The birth of these twins represents a major event for the dynamics of the Bageni family and for ongoing conservation efforts to support the continued growth of the endangered mountain gorilla population within Virunga National Park,” the park said in a statement.
Virunga National Park is the size of a small country, with an area of over 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles). It’s an incredibly diverse landscape, encompassing lush forests, savannas, swamps, lake shores, lava plains, active volcanoes, and glaciated mountains.
The park is a vibrant hotspot of biodiversity, home to 218 mammal species, 706 bird species, 109 reptiles, and 78 amphibians. Among them are 22 primate species, including three great apes: the eastern lowland gorilla, the eastern chimpanzee, and, most famously, the mountain gorilla.
In 2025, four eastern lowland gorillas were rescued from poachers and reintroduced to Virunga, underscoring the park’s role as a stronghold of conservation.
