Kigali, Sept 7 (AFP/APP):Celebrities, politicians and conservationists took turns to announce names for 40 infant gorillas in a glamorous ceremony in Rwanda, where the endangered creatures face a deadly threat from overcrowding.
Around half of the babies will not make it to adulthood due to vicious inter-family fights that are threatening decades of conservation work, experts say.
Efforts over the past half-century have helped the gorilla population recover from critical levels in the Virunga Massif that spans Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
But increased numbers also make the adult male gorillas, known as silverbacks, clash more frequently, with devastating results.
“Silverbacks fight as they try to protect their territories,” said Eugene Mutangana, conservation management expert at the Rwanda Development Board.
“The infants end up dying because the silverback that wins eliminates the young ones,” he told AFP.
He said around half of all young gorillas born over the past decade have been killed in this way.
None of that was mentioned as celebrities such as Hollywood actor Michelle Yeoh and “Transformers” director Michael Bay enjoyed the naming ceremony in the foothills of Volcanoes National Park.
“I hear he is such a good-looking baby gorilla, and being a movie director I promise I am going to make him a famous gorilla movie star,” said Bay, who named his gorilla Umurage, meaning “heritage”.
