Pictures: Gorilla Mother "Mourns" Dead Baby

Family Affair

Photograph courtesy Virunga National Park

Surrounded by relatives in April, Ruzuzi (center) reclines with her baby's body by her side.

Ruzuzi belongs to the Kabirizi family, which is, at 38 individuals, the largest gorilla family in Virunga National Park. Like most Virunga gorillas, she was named after a park ranger slain in the line of duty.

(See "Inside the Gorilla Wars: Rangers on Risking It All.")

The death of a baby may hit gorillas particularly hard, ranger Mburanumwe said. With a long gestation period and a high infant mortality rate, mountain gorillas successfully rear an infant only about every six to eight years.

In the case of Ruzuzi's baby, the cause of death is not known. But accidents to newborn gorillas are common, Mburanumwe said.

"When they're playing, they can kick each other," he said. And a first-time mother like Ruzuzi "doesn't always know how to protect the baby."

(Read more about the Virunga gorillas.)

Published May 26, 2011

Gathering "Like Human Beings"

Photograph courtesy Virunga National Park

Young gorillas and adult females gather around Ruzuzi and her dead baby in an act of apparent sympathy or possibly even ceremony in April. Sometimes, the family members made soft, crying noises, ranger Mburanumwe said.

At times, he said, "it was like they were trying to see if the baby could get up."

Scientists generally resist the temptation to project human emotions on animals.

But watching the gorillas care for the dead baby, Mburanumwe said, he felt it was impossible to not draw similarities with people. "They were like human beings."

(See video: "'Phenomenal' Gorilla Baby Discovery in Congo.")

Published May 26, 2011

Resting Place?

Photograph courtesy Virunga National Park

As another female and her baby sit nearby, Ruzuzi lies next to her dead baby in April.

"Many mother gorillas carry their dead babies for days, but some simply put them down after death," Jan Ramer, the veterinarian, said. "So there is a lot of individual variation."

(Also see "'Spectacular' Gorilla Growth in Congo, Despite War.")

Published May 26, 2011