Bwiruka,one of the most senior adult female mountain Gorillas in Nshongi Family has passed on.Trackers discovered her body on Monday.She is said to have recently grow frail and used to be sighted trailing the rest of the group with difficulty.

Bwiruka was during her hey days, known to be a favourite among the older men folk of the family. She was one of Nshongi’s favourite girls, used to be spotted in secret trysts with Bweza and was also a special comfort to Mishaya.

The secret of her appeal seemed to be her playful ways. She was also popular for her light-hearted ways. Most adult females are not given to friskiness, but Bwiruka was very playful. Not just with the gorillas, but even with the habituating trackers then.

As the group became more accustomed to the company of the trackers, Bwiruka would be known to playfully harass the men. It was not past her to set up an ambush and ‘attack’ the trackers, leaving them bewildered, unharmed and laughing at the fact that she had pulled a fast one on them. This behaviour was very different from her ways during habituation; where on sighting the trackers she would show a clean set to gorilla heels, hence the moniker – ‘knows-how-to-run’. Of her admirers, it has been noted that Bwiruka favored Silverback s Mishaya and tended to hang out with him more than the other silverbacks. It is worth noting that she resembled Bukozo and it is likely that Bwiruka could have been Bukozo’s daughter.

The exact cause of her death will be established after an autopsy and we shall keep you posted.