Infant Twirinde
Ntambara's Group
Twirinde D.O.B. December 24, 2020
Born into Ntambara’s group on December 24, 2020, 1-year-old infant Twirinde is the youngest gorilla of expert mom Tegereza. Twirinde, meaning “protection,” still relies on her mom for food and transportation, but she loves to play and adventure around the group with the support and protection of her older brothers. Subordinate silverback Inkumbuza and dominant silverback Twibuke also keep a close watch over her as she roams.
Her older brothers, Ingamya and Iyamarere, are protective of their little sister and are often found playing with her and babysitting her, giving Tegereza time to rest and eat.
Tegereza plays an important role in Ntambara’s group. She was originally born into the historic Shinda’s group, which split in 2008 when Shinda passed away. She holds the highest rank of the females in the group and therefore has a strong relationship with dominant silverback Twibuke and other group members. This gives her offspring a large advantage within the group, and they have every opportunity to grow into strong and successful adult gorillas.
Ntambara’s group now has 13 gorillas, four of which are infants, which means Twirinde has lots of friends to play with. We are excited to see her grow and become more independent in the coming months and years.
6 Month Update
Infant Twirinde is doing very well! She is growing up fast and her group recently welcomed a new infant. While the newest addition to Ntambara’s group is still too young to play with, that hasn’t stopped Twirinde from showing her curiosity by going to check him out.
When Twirinde isn’t testing her independence, she is with mom Tegereza, as she still relies on her for her care and support. That being said, she loves an adventure too. Whether playing with her friend Bisoke, or climbing on top of dad Twibuke during rest time, she is always on the move!
We look forward to seeing Twirinde continue to grow and the trouble – we mean adventures – she will get into!
One Year Update
Twirinde is still one of the most adorable infants we protect. She loves to explore her surroundings while still keeping close to her mom Tegereza. Tegereza is one of the most experienced and caring moms we have ever had the opportunity to monitor and it is so exciting to see her with Twirinde.
Twirinde is the youngest of Tegereza’s children and the only female still with her in Ntambara’s group. Her older brothers Iyamarere and Ingamiya are incredibly gentle with their younger sister and love to play with Twirinde.
