nature
An orphaned gorilla came home and had a baby
She arrived at the sanctuary at 18 months. Now she's the mother.
An eastern lowland gorilla named Lulingu gave birth on May 21st in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the first of her species successfully returned to the wild and now raising an infant there. Rescuers recovered her at 18 months old, after she was taken from her family and sold into the illegal wildlife trade. She was the youngest orphan ever brought to GRACE, the only sanctuary in the world for rescued eastern lowland gorillas. Lulingu was released in December 2024 alongside three other females. Her baby was fathered by a wild silverback, proof she had integrated. The monitoring team confirmed early pregnancies the practical way, collecting urine from leaves and using human pregnancy tests. "We have seen her nursing, cradling, and playing with the baby," said Benoit Ishaba, head of gorilla monitoring on Mt. Tshiaberimu. At least one of the other rewilded females may also be pregnant.
