Rangers finally spy Mount Tsiaberium gorilla baby

After several years of struggles and near-constant bad news, the team at the Mount Tsiaberium Conservation Project were finally given reason to cheer last spring when a baby was born in this remote corner of the Virunga National Park.

The birth of the infant was reported by a ranger patrol who found evidence of a new born infant in the nests the gorilla family leave behind each morning. For almost a year, however, both rangers and researchers have struggled to get close to the baby, which they named Ndekesire due to the aggressiveness of both parents. Such protectiveness was only to be expected as silverback Katsavara in particular is very wary of humans, who he has come to associate with war and poaching.

Just this week, however, rangers patrolling the forests of Mount T for deadly snares were lucky enough to get quite close to the Katsavara family and take some of the first photos of the latest arrival to the fragile gorilla population living here. Ndekesire was seen staying close to the mother at all times (see image above), though the rangers did report that the infant is becoming increasingly bold and inquisitive. At the same time, however, they were unable to confirm whether the young gorilla is a male or female.

Tuver Wundi, the Gorilla Organization’s Communications Manager in DR Congo announced the happy news. “This family is still very aggressive towards humans, so that is why we are still unable to confirm specific details, including whether it’s a boy or a girl,” he said.

“But despite this uncertainty, everyone is overjoyed that the baby is doing well. We always make sure to keep the local communities up to date on the latest news and we thank them for their ongoing efforts, as without their help, the forest habitat and the gorillas that live there would be in even greater danger.”