2020 was a rough year for people around the world. Here at the Fossey Fund, we have changed our work protocols in an effort to keep our staff members and the gorillas we monitor safe from COVID-19. We also had to worry about the health and safety of the human communities we work with at Volcanoes National Park, and we had to think creatively and find innovative ways to reach these communities with our important and life-saving programs.
However, there was one bright spot in this difficult year: baby gorillas!
The babies born in 2020 have confirmed our belief that the work we do makes a difference in the gorilla populations we protect. With so few mountain gorillas left in the wild – only 1,063 were counted in the last census – the arrival of a new baby gorilla is always a cause for celebration.
On September 24 – World Gorilla Day – the Rwanda Development Council hosted their Kwita Izina name celebration, at which new baby gorillas received their names. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they held the celebration virtually in 2020. Twenty-four baby gorillas received their names that day, and of the 24, ten were born in groups monitored by the Fossey Fund. Seven of the babies were nominated by Fossey Fund trackers – a special honor for our frontline staff.
And yet, every new baby reminds us of the tremendous task. We keep a close eye on every new arrival and every new mother, knowing that we do, although there are few animals on the planet that are more powerful than a full-grown silver-backed gorilla, but these baby gorillas are incredibly fragile and very endangered. In 2020, every new baby born reminds us of the scale of the task we have been presented with, and inspires us to protect our work by protecting these beautiful animals and their home for biodiversity.