gorilla.cd

Protecting the Mountain Gorillas of Virunga

Keeping Up with the Gorilla Girls

3 Nov 2009 Filed under (Gorilla Orphans) by Samantha @ 6:02 pm

Here is the latest video of Ndeze and Ndakasi, the 2 mountain gorilla orphans in Goma. Katya shot it the other day. Both little girls are now around the 20 kilo mark (over 40 pounds!) - which means they are actually not so little anymore. They require a great deal of energetic entertaining (the carers are exhausted!) and their diet is well-documented by the vets at MGVP for the carers.

You will hear in the background that there is a knocking noise. This is because the orphans are in Goma - which as we have said before is not quite right for them. It is too hot, too noisy and too dusty - that is for starters. But because of the lack of security in the park in the past, this has been the best place for them.

We hope that all of this is about to change with the construction of a new home for them - the Senkwekwe Centre at Rumangabo Park Station (I referred to this in the post last week). Senkwekwe if you recall was the Silverback massacred in July 2007, and the father of Ndeze.

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Construction is already well underway of Ndeze and Ndakasi’s new home - it has been financed largely by The Murry Foundation, who also did the primary school at Rumangabo that we inaugurated in March this year. I am off to Rumangabo tomorrow so will post you updated pictures later on in the week.

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15 Responses to “Keeping Up with the Gorilla Girls”

  1. Tina Tina Says: 3 Nov 2009

    OMG, they are absolutely the most adorable animals I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing.

  2. irisk iris Says: 3 Nov 2009

    Great video, Katya!

  3. Annie Wfbconnected Annie W Says: 4 Nov 2009

    OMG! Those precious babies are growing! So fun to watch …I loved the tickling part! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Rebecca Mills Rebecca Mills Says: 4 Nov 2009

    Are the gorilla girls 2 and 1/2 years old and only weigh 40 lbs? How long does it take a gorilla to gain its full weight?

  5. katyavfbconnected katyav Says: 4 Nov 2009

    Thank you so much iris, was a lot of fun filming ndeze and ndakasi

  6. Charlane Brady Charlane Brady Says: 4 Nov 2009

    great video. loved watching. warmed my heart… thank you for sharing.

  7. samantha Samantha Says: 4 Nov 2009

    Hi Rebecca, I will let Innocent or Diddy answer your question. I think it is about 12 or 13 years - but poss later. Katya did a great job filming because those little girls move around so much! I also just got back from Rumangabo with Innocent and will report on the Senkwekwe Centre construction later on in the week.

  8. Beth Beth Says: 4 Nov 2009

    Enchanting

  9. Megan Megan Says: 5 Nov 2009

    To die for!!! Thanks!!! Are the gorilla carers supported by you or by the MGVP? And do you support the MGVP, for example, do they see any of the money raised by tourism? It seems like both gorilla.cd and the MGVP are so closely connected so I wasn’t sure how it all worked when it comes to support.

    Thanks again SO MUCH!

  10. Suzanne McDermott Suzanne McDermott Says: 5 Nov 2009

    Someone likes to be tickled!

  11. samantha Samantha Says: 5 Nov 2009

    Hi Megan. The carers (there are 4 for Ndeze and Ndakasi) are all ICCN Rangers, so they are paid by us each month (with help from the money raised on this website) along with all the Rangers in Virunga (680 in total). They also receive a salary supplement from DFGFI and work closely with MGVP as it is MGVP who cares for the little girls. At ICCN we do not have this capacity. We do not support MGVP financially - they are a not-for-profit organization apart that work in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo, and are a 501c3 in the United States. We are the Congolese Wildlife Authority for Virunga National Park - so responsible for the whole park. Hope that answers your questions. As I have been alluding to in recent posts on this site, you will soon be able to directly support the orphans and their carers through a campaign we will launch to finish and run the Senkwekwe Centre - a new home underway for Ndeze and Ndakasi. The centre is one hectare of lush natural habitat! A gorilla orphan’s dream!

  12. Diddy Diddy Says: 6 Nov 2009

    Hi Rebecca,
    A female gorilla takes his full weight at 8 or 8.5 years, but a male is at 12 years.

  13. Betty Venezuela Betty Venezuela Says: 6 Nov 2009

    it’s nice to know that these two orphan happy and growing, after the tragedy of their mothers. I hope someday they return to their groups, but are very accustomed to humans

  14. Megan Megan Says: 8 Nov 2009

    Samantha,

    Thank you SO much for taking the time to answer my questions! It all makes sense now and I really appreciate it : )

  15. Janice Mfbconnected Janice M Says: 10 Nov 2009

    Cute little babies, almost like humans the way they play…. Just adorable.

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