Twin boy gorilla joy

The new twins with their mother

A new birth in the threatened gorilla population is always good news. But nature lovers were given a double cause for celebration last month when a pair of healthy twins was born to a mountain gorilla in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Twin births are highly rare for gorillas, this being only the fifth known occurrence since Rwandan gorillas began to be monitored over 40 years ago. The last case of twin gorilla babies was recorded back in 2004.

These latest twins are a pair of brothers who were born on 3 February to a mother known locally as Kabatwa. They, along with another recently born gorilla, will be named at a national ceremony in Rwanda this June.

The number of mountain gorillas in the wild stands at fewer than 800. The population has been steadily rising thanks to the concerted efforts of conservationists in Rwanda and beyond.