Born on 3 January, the Bageni twins have reached two months, marking a rare and encouraging milestone.

On 3 January 2026, Virunga’s community trackers recorded the birth of twin mountain gorillas in the Bageni family. This first birth of the year brings the Bageni family to 59 members, the largest gorilla group in the Park.

The twins have reached two months of age — a rare and encouraging milestone.
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Returning from a recent field mission, Jacques, Head of Gorilla Monitoring, shared a reassuring update: observations indicate that both infants are developing well. Their mother continues to show remarkable resilience, caring for and nursing the twins despite the additional demands this represents.
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Monitoring teams remain present in the field each day, providing close observation and support to give the twins the best possible chance of survival — work that will continue over the coming months.
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For now, the infants remain closely attached to their mother. In the months ahead, early signs of independent movement while she rests would mark an important step in their development.

Sebutimbiri of the Mapuwa family gave birth to a male infant, the second birth recorded this year in the Mikeno sector.

On 5 January 2026, Sebutimbiri, a female from the Mapuwa family, gave birth to a male infant. The Mapuwa family now counts 28 individuals, marking the second birth recorded this year in the Mikeno sector.

On 5 February 2026, Bagambe of the Rugendo family gave birth to a male infant, the third mountain gorilla birth recorded this year in Virunga.

On 5 February 2026, Virunga’s community trackers observed that Bagambe, a female from the Rugendo family, gave birth to a male infant.

With this birth, the Rugendo family now numbers 20 individuals, matching the Humba family and making both the fourth-largest groups in the Mikeno sector.

This marks the third mountain gorilla birth recorded in Virunga National Park this year.

On 17 February 2026, Seminane of the Munyaga family welcomed a female infant. This fourth birth of the year highlights a promising reproductive trend across Virunga’s mountain gorilla families.

On 17 February 2026, Virunga’s community trackers observed that Seminane, a female from the Munyaga family, was carrying her newborn female infant.

With this birth, the Munyaga family now numbers 13 individuals. Despite having four silverbacks—a high number given its size—it remains the smallest group in the Mikeno sector.

This marks the fourth mountain gorilla birth recorded in the Park this year, each in a different family, reflecting a positive reproductive trend across the monitored groups.

On 20 February 2026, Bilali of the Munyaga family gave birth to a female infant, just three days after the previous birth in the group, bringing the family to 14 members.

On 20 February 2026, Virunga’s community trackers directly witnessed Bilali of the Munyaga family giving birth to a female infant — a remarkable moment that reflects the dedication of our field teams and their close monitoring of this iconic species.

Coming just three days after the previous birth in the same family, this new arrival brings the Munyaga group to 14 individuals, highlighting encouraging growth and making the close succession of these two births particularly notable.