Love is in the air after four female gorillas, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, were rehomed to the wild in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It’s hoped that the translocation, which is the largest release of eastern lowland gorillas in Africa, will provide a vital genetic boost to the isolated population of eight gorillas who already live there.
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Isangi, Lulingu, Mapendo and Ndjingala were rescued as babies, then spent around a decade living at the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE), in Kashugo, Eastern DRC. There, they were encouraged to be as wild as possible, learning how to forage, socialise, climb, nest-build and play, all within the safety of a 39-acre facility.
The plan, however, was always to rewild them, and in October 2024, the females were airlifted to a wire-fenced enclosure, built for them on Mount Tshiaberimu – or ‘Mountain of the Spirits’ – in the Virunga National Park.
"Seeing the same helicopter which originally brought these gorillas to GRACE come to bring them to their new home at Mt. Tshiaberimu was incredibly emotional,” says Katie Fawcett, executive director of GRACE Gorillas. “It was almost like sending your children off to college.”
The facility was a half-way house, giving the females time to acclimatise to their new, colder, high-altitude location, as well as the native foodplants. Experts anticipated that the transition period could take up to several years, but then one month after they arrived, a wild silverback called Mwasa came calling.
Mwasa appeared, several days in a row, on the other side of the fence, where he announced his interest by posturing, vocalising and beating the ground. In return, the females displayed their interest, by responding to his calls, staying in his line of sight and even choosing to sleep outside at night, just to be closer to him.
Then, after a few days of observation, the team decided the time had come and the females were set free.
"They wanted to be with the silverback and they immediately started learning from him,” says Benoit Ishaba, head of gorilla monitoring on Mt. Tshiaberimu. Now, the healthy females are foraging, eating well and nest-building. Mwasa has been seen spending time with them, and mating with Ndjingala.
It’s too soon to know if the pitter patter of gorilla feet will follow, but if it does, there will be new hope for a population that was otherwise estimated to go extinct within 50 years.
Gorilla release in photos
Main image: Lulingu at sanctuary before transfer. Credit: ReWild
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