Baby gorilla’s first naming ceremony

Baby gorilla’s first naming ceremony

It’s Monday morning, and if you’re anything like us, it’s not your favourite day of the week.

So to ease you into another busy week, we’ve got an oversized dose of cute to get you started.

Over the weekend, the Rwanda Development Board hosted the eleventh annual Kwita Izina, or gorilla naming ceremony, at the foothills of the Virunga Mountains.

The theme for the 2015 festivities is “Conserving Now and For the Future.” The growing gorilla population has become a major tourist draw, and thousands turned out for the naming of 24 baby mountain gorillas this year.

The African country’s gorilla naming ceremony is a Rwandan tradition and an animal conservation effort that has gained a prominent international audience because of its commitment to protecting and supporting the repopulation of the country’s wildlife.

This year’s baby gorillas were each given a name representative of their personality, circumstances of birth, or a hope for the future.

For example, two names that were assigned included:

  • Icyifuzo, which translates to “wish”
  • Guhuza, meaning “come together”

If you’re already gushing, things are about to get a whole lot more adorable – here’s a bunch of photos of the baby gorillas from the ceremony. Enjoy!

Gutunguras-Baby_704x469 Umurimos-Baby_704x396 Ubufatanyes-Baby_704x469 Tuyishimes-Baby_704x469 Turibamwes-Baby_704x469 Mberes-Baby_704x469 Mahanes-Baby_704x469 Kabatwas-Baby_704x470 Isuras-Baby_704x469 Ishyakas-Baby_704x469 Inyenyeri‘s-Baby_704x470 Impuhwes-Baby_704x469 Ikirezis-Baby_704x470

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