By Anthony Kushaba
apearlnews.com
Uganda wildlife Authority is celebrating the birth of a new mountain gorilla.
The new baby was born in Bitukura gorilla group in Ruhiija sector of Bwindi impenetrable national park.
The news of the new baby mountain Gorilla was made public UWA on Saturday and brings the number of the group to 13.
As their name implies, mountain gorillas live in forests high in the mountains, at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet.
They have thicker fur, and more of it, compared to other great apes. The fur helps them to survive in a habitat where temperatures often drop below freezing.
But as humans have moved more and more into the gorillas’ territory, the gorillas have been pushed farther up into the mountains for longer periods, forcing them to endure dangerous and sometimes deadly conditions.
What might have been a bleak outlook for the subspecies just a couple of decades ago has brightened in recent years due to conservation efforts. Despite ongoing civil conflict, poaching and an encroaching human population, both populations of mountain gorillas have increased in numbers.
Despite years of civil unrest in the region where mountain gorillas live, conservation efforts have found success. Findings show populations in the Virunga Massif have grown to 604 individuals, up from 480 individuals in 2010. This puts the total global wild gorilla population over 1,000 individuals
