Hirwa

Hirwa

Gorilla Family

Hirwa

13 MEMBERS: LAST UPDATED 22/02/2022

Hirwa group is found in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. After the death of its group leader Munyinya on February 21st, 2019, following a prolonged illness (Munyinya died in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park), the group is now led by Uburanga. The group was opened for tourism in July 2006 and named Hirwa in the same year. During his time, Munyinya increased the size of his group by grabbing individuals from surrounding groups such as Sabyinyo, Agashya and Kwitonda. Hirwa group has kept exhibiting its strength and maintained its status and respect from other gorilla groups in the area. Hirwa group is composed of 13 individuals including 1 Silverback,2 Adult females, 2 Blackbacks, 2 Sub-adult females,3 Juveniles and 3 Infants. This group is known to have the second ever surviving twins (Isango Gakuru and Isango Gato born to adult female Kabatwa).

  • 1

    Silverbacks

  • 2

    Adult females

  • 2

    Blackbacks

  • 2

    Sub-adult females

  • 3

    Juveniles

  • 3

    Infants

About mountain gorillas

The eastern gorilla is a large hominid with a large head, broad chest, and long arms. It has a flat nose with large nostrils. The face, hands, feet and breast are bald. The fur is mainly black, but adult males have a silvery “saddle” on their back. When the gorilla gets older, the hair on the saddle of the back becomes white, much like the gray hair of elderly people. This is why the older males are called silverbacks. Grauer’s gorilla has a shorter, thicker, deep black fur, while the mountain gorilla has a more bluish color. The mountain gorilla is slightly smaller and lighter than Grauer’s gorilla, but still larger and heavier than the western lowland gorilla and the Cross River gorilla. Males are much larger than females. A full-grown male eastern gorilla typically weighs 140–205.5 kg (309–453 lb) and stands 1.7 m (5.6 ft) upright.

The goal of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is to ensure the conservation of mountain gorillas and their regional afromontane forest habitat in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Situated in South Western Uganda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest of all Uganda’s national parks yet it is so privileged to be home to the magnificent mountain gorillas. It is part of the Virunga massif where more than 480 mountain gorillas live. Bordered by the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda, the park was created to protect the mountain gorillas that roam freely within the Virunga region.