Two years after losing her first baby...
... KUHIRWA smiles again...
... KUHIRWA smiles again...
When Kuhirwa was awarded in WPY2018 featuring with her dead baby, we all hoped her story had a better end. The picture of a mother not giving up the body of her child made her famous worldwide, telling a moving story about how animals love and suffer, just like humans do when they endure a loss.
The awarded photo was taken one year earlier on one of those rainy Bwindi mornings where you would rather stay in bed than drag yourself into the muddy and steep hills of Nkuringo. The expedition left the Ugandan Wildlife Authority center at 8:30, and we found the gorillas only two hours later. The troop was grouped together because of the heavy rain and the two silverbacks, Rafiki, the leader, and Kirungyi, nicknamed “the handsome” by the locals, were mildly eating their breakfast salad. It was then I spotted one of the young females apparently playing with something I thought was only a root. However, Wilber Tumwesigye, our lead guide and a good friend of mine, explained further. Kuhirwa had given birth a few weeks ago, but her baby had died of cold shortly afterwards. Ever since, she had been carrying, grooming and loving the body. What seemed at first to be a root was the remains of her child. I grabbed my camera, took a few shots, and the rest is history.
I kept following up on Kuhirwa for two years. Shortly after the WPY2018 ceremony she started to look pregnant again. The local trackers could not be sure, but all the signs indicated that our young female had new life growing in her womb. I traveled to Nkuringo. There, I was excited to tell Kuhirwa could indeed be mother again.Meanwhile, the worst news shook the family. Our dearest Kirungyi, the handsome, was found dead beside the riverbank following a brutal clash with Rafiki. The gentle but battle-hardened giant could not survive another fight. Kirungyi left the group severely beaten and headed to the river, where he died alone shortly thereafter.
In July 2019, I got a call from Wilber urging me to drop by Nkuringo. Kuhirwa had given birth. Ten days later I was landing in Kigali. Those three days in Bwindi were especially intense for me, as though I was visiting a newborn relative. The baby looked healthy, and her mother would not leave him alone for one second. I tracked the group again two times in October, and all was fine. Rafiki, now the only silverback, was taking care of the family, and our young mother was… let’s just say... as happy as can be. Two years after losing her first baby, Kuhirwa smiles again.
The awarded photo was taken one year earlier on one of those rainy Bwindi mornings where you would rather stay in bed than drag yourself into the muddy and steep hills of Nkuringo. The expedition left the Ugandan Wildlife Authority center at 8:30, and we found the gorillas only two hours later. The troop was grouped together because of the heavy rain and the two silverbacks, Rafiki, the leader, and Kirungyi, nicknamed “the handsome” by the locals, were mildly eating their breakfast salad. It was then I spotted one of the young females apparently playing with something I thought was only a root. However, Wilber Tumwesigye, our lead guide and a good friend of mine, explained further. Kuhirwa had given birth a few weeks ago, but her baby had died of cold shortly afterwards. Ever since, she had been carrying, grooming and loving the body. What seemed at first to be a root was the remains of her child. I grabbed my camera, took a few shots, and the rest is history.
I kept following up on Kuhirwa for two years. Shortly after the WPY2018 ceremony she started to look pregnant again. The local trackers could not be sure, but all the signs indicated that our young female had new life growing in her womb. I traveled to Nkuringo. There, I was excited to tell Kuhirwa could indeed be mother again.Meanwhile, the worst news shook the family. Our dearest Kirungyi, the handsome, was found dead beside the riverbank following a brutal clash with Rafiki. The gentle but battle-hardened giant could not survive another fight. Kirungyi left the group severely beaten and headed to the river, where he died alone shortly thereafter.
In July 2019, I got a call from Wilber urging me to drop by Nkuringo. Kuhirwa had given birth. Ten days later I was landing in Kigali. Those three days in Bwindi were especially intense for me, as though I was visiting a newborn relative. The baby looked healthy, and her mother would not leave him alone for one second. I tracked the group again two times in October, and all was fine. Rafiki, now the only silverback, was taking care of the family, and our young mother was… let’s just say... as happy as can be. Two years after losing her first baby, Kuhirwa smiles again.
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