Mountain gorillas are an endangered species of primates that live in the rainforests of East and Central Africa. Travelers have the chance to see these endangered mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mainly in Virunga National Park. In Congo, there are eight habituated mountain gorilla families that visitors can track during guided gorilla trekking experiences.
Below are the main Congo gorilla families found in Virunga National Park.
- Mapuwa gorilla family: The Mapuwa gorilla family was formed in 1998 when silverback Mapuwa left his father’s group to create his own family. He started with only two members. Over time, Mapuwa fought other silverbacks, including Pilipili, and took over their family members. He was later overpowered by a wild silverback called Mvuyekure and forced into exile. Mapuwa later returned, fought again, and regained leadership of his family.
- Lulengo gorilla family: The Lulengo gorilla family is named after a park technical director called Lulengo who died after stepping on a land mine. The group was first known as Musekura before the name changed. During the 1994 Great Lakes refugee crisis, the group lost its dominant silverback Rugabo, who was shot dead.
- Rugendo gorilla family: The Rugendo gorilla family was habituated in 1989. The leading silverback Rugendo was killed in 1997 during a crossfire between park forces and militia groups. His son Senkwekwe later took over but also died in a crossfire in 2006. Today, Bukima is the dominant silverback, and the group has about nine individuals.
- Bageni gorilla family: The Bageni gorilla family was formed in 2019 when silverback Bageni split from the Kabirizi family. He left with about 20 individuals, including his mother. This family once produced twins, but they did not survive past their first year.
- Kabirizi gorilla family: The Kabirizi gorilla family is named after a park director who died in the 1990s. The group was first called Ndugutse. Kabirizi is known for fathering many silverbacks and is still the dominant leader of the family.
- Nyakamwe gorilla family: The Nyakamwe gorilla family was formed in 2014 when silverback Nyakamwe broke away from the Humba family. Nyakamwe currently leads this group.
- Humba gorilla family: The Humba gorilla family was created when silverback Humba separated from his brother Senkwekwe in 1998. Both originally came from the Rugendo family.
- Munyaga gorilla family: The Munyaga gorilla family, formerly known as Buhanga, went through many changes. Munyaga was once a solitary silverback and later took leadership. After losing all females, the group stayed without a clear leader until a younger silverback called Mawazo became dominant.
