THE LARGEST MOUNTAIN GORILLA FAMILY ON EARTH

Every day, our trackers are in the field with them.

 

5,000+
DAYS IN THE FIELD WITH THE FAMILY SINCE 2013

Meet all 62 members ↓

Protecting People and Gorillas from Ebola

Virunga is operating 3 screening stations to contain the spread of Ebola in Eastern DRC.

62
gorillas in the Bageni family, the largest in the Park.
0
confirmed Ebola cases in mountain gorillas, ever. Let’s keep it that way.
1.5M+
people screened for Ebola by our health teams since June 2026.
4 to 5
trackers watching over the family every day.
  • Female
  • Male
  • Infant or juvenile

Click a gorilla to meet itTap a gorilla or pick a name below

Photo credit: Virunga National Park

The Bageni family now numbers 62 individuals, and we must identify and monitor each one. We rely mainly on nose prints to recognise each gorilla. These features change quickly in young gorillas, so we update our data regularly. Our community trackers must also detect births and monitor the group’s overall health. With a family this large and the dense vegetation in the Mikeno sector, observing every individual is particularly difficult. This demanding work is essential to monitor the family as closely as possible and to help protect them.

Jacques Katutu Head of Gorilla Monitoring

Frequent Asked Questions

A. Your gift supports Virunga’s teams on the ground: the trackers who watch over the Bageni family every day, and the health workers running our Ebola screening stations in Eastern DRC.

A. No. There has never been a confirmed case of Ebola in mountain gorillas, and we’re working to keep it that way. Our health teams have screened more than 1.5 million people since June 2026 to stop the virus from spreading through communities close to the Park.

A. Gorillas are vulnerable to many of the same diseases we are, and Ebola has already devastated other great ape populations in Central Africa. The best way to protect the Bageni family is to stop the virus from spreading among people before it can reach the Park. Our health workers run 3 screening stations on strategic exit routes from Ituri province, the epicentre of the outbreak, protecting local communities and the gorillas at the same time.

A. The Bageni Family Journal is our digital magazine about the Bageni family, the largest mountain gorilla family in the Park. As a thank you for your gift, we’ll send it to your inbox this December, with news from the trackers, updates on the twins’ progress, and stories about how the family is doing.