Rugendo is one of the most famous and pioneering gorilla groups in D.R. Congo’s Virunga National Park. Virunga National Park is one of the three national parks within the larger Virunga conservation area, which also includes Volcanoes National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Rwanda and Uganda, respectively.
Rugendo became famous way back in 1989 when it was the first-ever gorilla family to be successfully habituated and visited by tourists in Virunga National Park. It is located close to the park headquarters in the Bukima sector.
At the time of habituation, the Rugendo family was under the leadership of two silverbacks, Rugendo and his son Humba. The habituation of this group, along with two other families, Rugabo and Zunguruka, began in 1985 and lasted for about three years until 1989 when it was opened to trekkers.
Rugendo was the lead silverback at the time before he was brutally murdered in the Bukima sector by rebels in 2001. Other than being the pioneer silverback, Rugendo is also a father to many other male gorillas that grew to become renowned lead silverbacks within respective gorilla families in Virunga National Park. Some of these include Humba, Mapuwa, Senkwekwe, Mukunda, Nyakamwe, Baseka, Kongomani, Ruzirabwoba, Mburanumwe, Lubutu, and Bahati.
Most of these male gorillas formed their distinctive families, like Humba and Nyakamwe, who left the group in 1997 to form their own Humba family, but later separated further to form another group, Nyakamwe.
After the demise of Rugendo in 2001, his other son Senkwekwe took over leadership up to 2007 when he was killed brutally by unidentified gunmen along with five other gorillas who belonged to this group.
For several months until 2008, the Rugendo family did not have a leader until the solitary Bukima took over as the new dominant silverback. Bukima was formerly a member of the Buhanga family and later joined the Munyaga group, where he spent some valuable time. In 2005, he became a solitary silverback and united with the Rugendo family.
The group is currently made up of 10 members, including three silverbacks under the leadership of Bukima, one sub-adult female, two adult females, two juveniles, and two babies.
