The deaths of four mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park remain unknown at this time.
On Sunday 16, trackers from a research centre discovered a mother dead and her infant seriously weak. They alerted the Rwandan Development Board and veterinarians were dispatched. Despite desperate attempts the baby died. Two other dead infants were also discovered.
The gorillas were part of an estimated 380 members of highly endangered Virunga mountain gorilla population. There are only around 680 mountain gorillas left in the wild and half of them live around the active and non-active Virunga volcanoes.
"We are all shocked and saddened by the death of these baby gorillas as well as the adult female, and by the grave implications for the mountain gorilla population as a whole," said Eugene Rutagarama, Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP).
The gorillas are thought to of died because of the extreme weather conditions due to the high altitude of their habitat. Tests will be run on the bodies to determine the correct cause.
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