2025-05-09
09
A pair of twin mountain gorillas has been born in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – a rare occurrence for the endangered primates, conservationists at Virunga National Park say.
The community trackers, who discovered 22-year-old Mafuko hugging her newborns on Saturday, said the mother and her two baby sons all appeared to be well and healthy.
Twin births are thought to account for about 1% of all mountain gorilla births, though exact data is not widely available.
Virunga, situated in a conflict-prone part of DR Congo, is Africa’s oldest and largest national park and was set up 100 years ago to protect mountain gorillas of which there are fewer than 1,100 left in the wild
They are only found in the Virunga and in national parks over the border in Rwanda and Uganda, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which compiles a Red List of threatened species.
The last birth of mountain gorilla twins in Virunga National Park was in September 2020.
Mafuko herself gave birth to twins in 2016, but they both died within a week.
Young gorillas rely entirely on their mothers for care and transport – and are extremely vulnerable in what can be a dangerous environment where poachers and many armed groups operate.
The authorities at the park say additional monitoring and protection measures have been put in place to ensure the twins’ survival during this critical period. Rangers would closely observe the young family and provide support if needed, they said.
A gorilla’s pregnancy lasts for about eight-and-a-half months, and females usually give birth to one infant every four years.
According to Virunga conservationists, Mafuko has had a remarkable history of survival herself.
Born in 2003 into the Kabirizi family, she lost her mother to armed attackers when she was four years old. She joined the Bageni family when she was 10 – and to date has been pregnant and given birth five times.
Conservationists at Virunga, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site, say her latest offspring represent a significant boost for efforts to protect the endangered species.
Thanks to anti-poaching patrols and community programmes – supported by the European Union and Unesco – mountain gorilla numbers in Virunga have slowly increased over the past decade.
This success which is documented by the IUCN and other partners, led to their status being upgraded from “critically endangered” to “endangered” in 2018.
Virunga spans 7,800 sq km (3,000 sq miles) and is home to an astonishingly diverse landscape – from active volcanoes and vast lakes to rainforest and mountains.
[BBC]
Warning for deep depression over South-east Bay of Bengal Sea area.
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre, Department of Meteorology at 10.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 for the period until 10.30 a.m. 09 January 2026
The depression in the Bay of Bengal to the southeast of Sri Lanka has intensified into a deep depression and is centered near latitude 5.4°N and longitude 85.3°E, about 420 km southeast of Pottuvil at 05.30 a.m. today (08th). The above system is currently (10:00 a.m.) located about 300 km southeast of Pottuvil.
It is very likely to move west-northwestwards across the southwest Bay of Bengal and cross the Sri Lanka coast between Hambantota and Kalmunai between 5.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. on Friday [9th January 2026].
Hence, showery, and windy condition over the island, particularly in the Northern, NorthCentral, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces is expected to enhance from today (08th).
For the Land area:
DAMAGE EXPECTED:
• Damage to huts, temporary shelters and light structures
• Destroy the roof tops/ sheets etc.
• Damage to power and communication lines.
• Breaking of tree branches and uprooting of large avenue trees.
• Damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards.
• Damage to harbor yachts
• Flash flood
• Sea water inundation in low lying areas in the near coast.
Action suggested for the Land area:
• Coastal hutment dwellers are advised to move to safer places. Other people in the affected areas to remain indoors.
• People living in hilly areas (particularly landslide prone areas) and low lying areas in river basins are requested to be vigilant.
• Drivers and people using roads in the hilly areas are requested to be vigilant.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• General public is requested to be vigilant regarding impending extreme weather situation.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
• Requested to be attentive about future advisories issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.
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