Lightning kills four mountain gorillas including a pregnant mother.

On a sad note, East Africa mourns the tragic loss of the four mountain gorillas’ species. They were struck down by lightning at the Uganda-Rwanda border in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

“The endangered four mountain gorillas including a pregnant female gorilla died after being struck by lightning,” said one of the national park officials.

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When gorilla trackers went trekking, the three females including one that was pregnant and an infant were found dead with “gross lesions” on their bodies.

“It’s not something that happens often at all, it is a freak accident of nature,” Andrew Seguya, director of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, said. The results of the post-mortem examinations will be confirmed in two to three weeks’ time.

Origin of the four mountain gorillas

The four dead mountain gorillas that belonged to the Hirwa family of gorillas in Rwanda had crossed to Uganda and had been living at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of the Virunga massif which is shared by Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R. Congo.

“This was extremely sad,” Andrew Seguya, the Executive Secretary of the GVTC, told the BBC.

“There are only 1,000 mountain gorillas in the whole universe. And the sudden loss of 3 females at once is a great loss because their capability to contribute to the gorilla’s quantities was immense.” Dr. Seguya said.

He added that the 13 surviving members of the Hirwa family have been found and are feeding well. This is a great loss once again to the three countries where Mountain gorillas are found-Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.