Mountain Gorilla Twins Born in Virunga National Park for 2nd Time This Year

Mountain gorillas have recently given birth to twin offspring in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. The newborns are a female and male, approximately two weeks old, and are being closely monitored by field teams.

A video posted by the park shows the young twins with their family in a dense forest. The births were described as “exceptionally rare” among mountain gorillas. Since the start of 2025, seven gorilla births have been recorded in Virunga National Park.

Despite these recent events, twin births among gorillas are considered highly unusual by experts. Tara Stoinski, CEO and chief scientific officer of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, stated that twins occur in less than one percent of mountain gorilla births globally.

The survival of gorilla twins poses a challenge as they require more energy from the mother to produce milk for two infants. Virunga National Park is Africa’s oldest nature reserve, established in 1925 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, conflict in the region threatens the park, with fighters from the M23 armed group and the ADF militia using its forests as hideouts.

The mountain gorilla population worldwide is estimated at 1,063 living in the wild, with approximately 350 recorded in Virunga in 2021. Eight births were registered in Virunga National Park in 2025.