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Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), tour operators, and Wildlife conservationists are in a celebratory mood after receiving news about the birth of a baby gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

"We are glad to share this first mobile image of the world’s newest Mountain Gorilla baby. Born to Furaha a female adult of the Nkuringo family. Mother, baby & dad in perfect health, ", UWA announced Saturday (April 20) in a post on social media X (Twitter).  

UWA also shared a photograph of the mother and baby. The photo was taken by one of the UWA field rangers using a cellphone.

The birth brings the number to 15 individuals in the  Nkuringo family.

Uganda has more than half of the world’s mountain gorilla population found on the Virunga Mountain slopes in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

There are two species of gorilla recorded only in Africa: the Eastern and Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla).

Uganda’s mountain gorilla is a subspecies of the Eastern gorilla, found only in the east-central African rainforests. As their name hints, they live only in the mountains at elevations between 8,000 and 13,000 feet.

There are a total of 14 habituated gorilla families found in Uganda each led by a dominant silverback with 12 groups available for gorilla trekking while the 2 are for gorilla habituation experience.

Bwindi impenetrable forests in the southwest part of Uganda, one of the biggest national parks in Africa to inhabit the mountain Gorillas. 

Nkuringo gorilla family: This was the very first gorilla family to be habituated in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Nkuringo is a local word meaning ‘Rolling hills’. The group was named after the rolling hills where the group was first spotted. The habituation of this group started in 2004.

The family had many members who however broke away to form their own families.
Before, the Nkuringo Gorilla Group was led by a silverback called Nkuringo, who later on died in 2008. After his death, two silverbacks managed to take over power Rafiki, and Safari.

However, his son Safari managed to take over power and became the leader after a period of seven months. In his leadership, the group welcomed a bundle of joy, when the female gorilla Kwitonda gave birth to twins Muhoozi and Katungi.

However, Katungi could not live to see his second birthday he died at 18 months due to an illness.

Bwindi Impenetrable NP website further reveals that the Nkuringo group loved wandering in the villages, feeding on banana plantations, and sweet potatoes, and feeding on people’s crops which created a lot of problems with the local people, living near the forests.

Its behavior led to the main reason why the group was considered for habituation process (training the mountain Gorillas to be close to humans). After the habituation of the group was then open for tourists and this also increased the needs of the local people where they started benefiting from tourism and protection.

The trek to meet the Nkuringo Gorilla Group takes a period of 3 hours.