Four mountain gorillas die unexpectedly in National Park

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.

Rwanda to name baby gorilla's for World Environment Day

The development board of Rwanda will name 11 rare baby gorillas as part of a traditional World Environmental Day.

The ceremony, called kwita izina, will take place on 5 June at the foot of the volcanoes deVirunga mountains in Rwanda's Northern Province.

The event will hopefully raise awareness for the conservation protecting endangered mountain gorillas.

Anette Tamara Mbabazi, Rwanda Development Board's media and events officer, said that the international year of the biodiversity would focus on raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and its protection from underlying threats as well as the significance of establishing interconnections between biodiversity, conservation and climate change.