Four female Grauer’s gorillas —also called eastern lowland gorillas — have been reintroduced to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The gorillas — named Mapendo, Isangi, Lulingu, and Ndjingala — were airlifted by helicopter to their new home on Mt. Tshiaberimu. All four were raised in a gorilla sanctuary called GRACE after being rescued from the illegal wildlife trade as babies.
Grauer’s gorillas are the largest of the four gorilla subspecies, making them the largest living ape. They live mostly in lowland rainforests and in some montane forests in the DRC. Grauer’s gorillas are critically endangered. Scientists estimate there are fewer than 7,000 left in the wild. They face threats from habitat loss, bushmeat hunting, and conflict.
The small group of Grauer’s gorillas living on Mt. Tshiaberimu is isolated from other gorillas in Virunga National Park. This may put the group at risk of local extinction. Conservationists hope increasing the group from 8 to 12 gorillas will keep the population healthy.
The gorilla girls were moved to a special rewilding facility on Mt. Tshiaberimu in October 2024. Shortly after, they joined the family group of a wild silverback named Mwasa. Rangers and veterinarians are monitoring them closely. The four gorillas appear healthy. They are sleeping well. They have even learned to eat new foods like bamboo leaves and shoots.
Preparing the gorillas to return to the wild has been a long and emotional process. The baby gorillas arrived at the large GRACE sanctuary between 2010 and 2016. There, they learned to find food, build nests, and socialize with other gorillas. Without these skills, they could not survive on their own.
“We’ve been caring for these gorillas since they were babies,” said Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke, DRC director for GRACE Gorillas, in a press release. “Our ultimate goal has been to help them recover from the trauma of the illegal wildlife trade and the circumstances that followed, and get them back to the wild.”
So far, Mapendo, Isangi, Lulingu, and Ndjingala are settling in well in their wild home on Mt. Tshiaberimu.
More learning resources
- Observe gorillas at the GRACE sanctuary via the GRACE gorilla livestream
- From Mongabay News: New survey nearly doubles Grauer’s gorilla population, but threats remain
Who was involved in this project? This gorilla reintroduction effort was led by Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE), Virunga National Park, and local communities, with support from Gorilla Doctors and Re:wild. You can read more about the team involved here.
By Megan Strauss for Mongabay Kids
