Rwanda to 'baptise' 22 baby mountain gorillas
KIGALI
Twenty-two baby mountain gorillas will be "baptised" in a name-giving ceremony next month in Rwanda's Volcans National Park, an official said on Saturday.
Conservation and tourism director Rica Rwigamba said the ceremony, which will be held on June 18, will give names to twins born in February, a rare occurrence for an endangered species which counts fewer than 800 individuals.
Mountain gorillas are Rwanda's main tourist attraction and accounted for 90 percent of tourism revenue in 2010.
"Like every year, renowned personalities will be part of the ceremony," Rwigamba said.
According to a 2010 census, the total number of mountain gorillas has increased by a quarter over the past seven years to reach more than 780 individuals.
Two thirds of them are found in the Virunga massif, which straddles Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda has recorded only five twin mountain gorilla births over the past 40 years.
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Nice to have some good news on the conservation front. Hope the ceremony went well!
ReplyDelete@ that's life! Yes the ceremony went on well as planned.
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Rwandan premier 'baptises' 22 gorillas
Posted Sat Jun 18, 2011.
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KIGALI - Rwandan Prime Minister Bernard Makuza led a traditional ceremony on Saturday to "baptise" 22 gorilla babies that was introduced six years ago for the endangered species.
At the colourful name-giving event at Kinigi, on the edge of Volcanoes Natural Park, children disguised as gorillas represented the animals just outside their natural habitat.
The park on the border between Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo is home to half of the world's 700 mountain gorillas. They were brought to the attention of the outside world by the renowned US primatologist, the late Dian Fossey.
At the ceremony broadcast live on radio and television Makuza gave one of two gorilla twins born in February the Rwandan name Ijambo, literally "the word".
"I name him Ijambo because what we do, the progress we make, enables us to speak in the concert of nations," Makuza said.
The birth of the twins was a rare occurrence for the endangered species whose numbers have dwindled over the decades.
Twins were also born in May, only the seventh time in the last 40 years that a gorilla has given birth to twins.
The latest two will be named at next year's ceremony.
Rwanda's main attraction is awaiting your arrival by flights to Kigali. Reach this African beauty and discover the natural treasure it is home to.
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