Rwanda has recently celebrated the naming of 22 baby mountain gorillas at its annual Kwita Izina ceremony, as the country’s mountain gorilla population continues its remarkable recovery from around 250 in the early 1980s to more than 1,000 worldwide today.
The 21st edition of the ceremony, held on 4 September at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park under the theme “Conservation is Life: Sustaining the Future,” brought together local communities, conservationists and international partners.
Rwandan Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva, the guest of honour, said over 600 mountain gorillas now live in the Virunga Massif. With this year’s 22 baby gorillas, a total of 460 gorillas have been named through the ceremony since it was officially launched as an annual event in 2005.
Kwita Izina, meaning “to give a name” in Kinyarwanda, has become a global conservation event. This year’s namers included prominent personalities from conservation, tourism, business, sports, entertainment and philanthropy, reflecting Rwanda’s commitment to wildlife conservation and sustainable development.
