Kwitonda Gorilla Family: A silverback traveled all the way from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Rwanda in the year 2003. It is probable that it felt pressure from other gorilla families in the region to migrate to a new neighborhood in order to start its own family because of the presence of other gorilla families in the area.

The name Kwitonda was bestowed upon the silverback among the group that possessed the greatest amount of strength. Akarevuro was a young guy during the time that Kwitonda was in charge. After Kwitonda’s passing, Akarevuro has assumed the role of leader. The other two Silverbacks in the group, Kigoma and Magumu, both acknowledged the fact that Akarevuro had assumed the role of leader and submitted to his authority. In September 2012, Kwitonda’s body was discovered after he had passed away at the age of 40. His health had begun to deteriorate, and the pressure from the young gorillas was making it even worse for him.

His body was discovered ten days after he had passed away, after he had fled from his family and gone someplace that no one knew about. It was a natural death because he passed away from old age. This was demonstrated by a postmortem examination of the body after the person had passed away.

Kwitonda Gorilla family
Kwitonda Gorilla family

Before he passed away, he consented to the mating of other gorillas with the group’s females. Many believe that he was aware that he did not possess the necessary skills to lead the group, but that he was aware that the group still required development. He brought his family closer together as a result of allowing this to take place.

Gorillas that aren’t permitted to mate will eventually leave the sanctuary and create their own families when conditions return to normal. Because the Kwitonda had never seen anything like it before, the younger males decided to stick together. There are around 28 members in this gorilla family, making it the second largest family of gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

The Kwitonda gorilla family established their home in the valley that is between Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga. These gang found themselves the focus of a great deal of attention from passing visitors all of a sudden. Kwitonda had a kind demeanor toward both humans and other gorillas, which earned him a good reputation.