The three oldest female mountain gorillas monitored by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund share a common past, but their lives have unfolded in different ways. Still, it’s a small world among the gorillas and the interconnections remain.
Gutangara, Nzeli and Mudakama, now 40, 39 and 38 years old, have been closely studied for most of their lives. They were all born and raised in the large Susa group, but their story took an interesting turn in April 1995 when they moved to another large historic group – Pablo – where they spent most of their reproductive years.
Now, 30 years have passed since that bold move, and their paths have diverged. Gutangara lives in a group that split off from Pablo’s group, while Nzeli and Mudakama are together again after years apart, living in the Mutobo group which is – interestingly – led by the son of Gutangara.
Gorilla females make the choices!
Unlike male gorillas, females may change groups multiple times throughout their lives, as they seek reproductive partners who can provide stability and protection for themselves and their offspring. This flexibility makes female lives highly diverse. However, several studies that have explored female transfers suggest that these choices are influenced by much more than reproductive opportunities. Gutangara, Nzeli and Mudakama are a great example of this variability.
Gutangara never actually left Pablo’s group. Instead, in 2021, the group split, forming the independent Dushishoze group, with Gutangara in it. The stability of Gutangara’s group membership over the years has contributed to her remarkable reproductive success. She holds the record for the highest number of living offspring, with eight in total, and three still living alongside her in the Dushishoze group, which today includes 11 gorillas, half of them Gutangara’s own family.
Gutangara and her youngster, in Dushishoze’s group | Photo by Veronica Vecellio
Nzeli, on the other hand, holds the record for the highest number of group transfers. Over her lifetime, she has moved between 11 different groups, spending the most time in the Pablo group, where she stayed for 12 years. Then, after leaving, she changed groups nine more times before settling in Mutobo’s group in March 2024, where she reunited with her old companion Mudakama.
As a result of all this moving around, Nzeli’s offspring are now scattered across different groups, including two in Segasira’s group, while her youngest remains in Kureba’s group with his father, Ishavu. Nzeli’s resilience and remarkable adaptability make her a fascinating character among the gorillas we study.
Nzeli has changed groups many times, more than any other female we’ve observed.
Mudakama lived in the Pablo group for an impressive 22 years. But in 2017, she entered a phase of instability, moving through six different groups, with stays ranging from a few weeks to a year in each group. Finally, in January 2021, she settled into Mutobo’s group, which is led by Gutangara’s son. After finding stability again, she gave birth in October 2022. Of her four older offspring, all now adults, two are still living in the Pablo group where they were born.
Mudakama lived in one group for 22 years before moving into six different groups since 2017.
It takes decades to learn about gorillas
The story of these three females is just one of many highlighting the incredible value of nearly 60 years of daily gorilla monitoring. Because of this continuous research, we can document gorillas’ lives throughout generations and without gaps, offering an unmatched understanding of their reproductive patterns, social dynamics, and how female transfers shape the welfare and structure of the population.
This article is part of a series presented by the Fossey Fund’s gorilla program Senior Advisor Veronica Vecellio, focusing on the mountain gorillas the Fossey Fund protects and studies every day in Rwanda. Veronica has worked with these gorilla families for 20 years and shares her deep knowledge and insights about their lives.
