Nairobi, 20 June 2011
- Last year, the eyes of the world were
on Rwanda as it hosted World Environment
Day (WED). To mark the occasion, WED 2010
participants were
given the chance to name three baby gorillas
as part of the traditional Kwita Izina naming
ceremony.
One year on, UNEP has
revisited the three gorillas in their remote
mountain habitat for a new, three-part film.
The youngsters - named Zoya, Waka Waka and
Legacy - are shown playing, exploring and
interacting with their families among the
bamboo trees of the Volcanoes National Park.
Just two weeks after
the filming, a set of twins was born to
Zoya's family. Though twins are extremely
unusual, this is the second set born to
this family and the third set born in the
park in the last three years.
In Rwandan culture,
giving names to human babies, in a ceremonial
style, is a long standing tradition. And
the people of Rwanda also bestow this tradition
on the country's mountain gorillas, a testament
to their beloved status. On the practical
side, names also ease the identification
of individuals in habituated groups, which
helps with research, medical care and interest
from gorilla enthusiasts.
Every year in June,
thousands of people from all walks of life
come together to take part in the Kwita
Izina ceremony in Volcanoes National Park.
On World Environment Day 2010, UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim
Steiner, Goodwill Ambassador Don Cheadle
and Climate Hero Luo Hong each gave a name
to one of the baby gorillas.
The names, Zoya, meaning
"light" in many languages, and
Waka Waka, meaning "spirited"
and "to lift up" in Swahili, were
selected from entries in an online competition
in the run-up to WED 2010. The final name,
Legacy, was chosen by UNEP to mark the launch
of the WED Legacy Project in which US$10
was contributed for every environmental
activity registered, resulting in close
to US$100,000 being raised for gorilla protection
in the host country.
Trans-boundary collaboration
in protecting mountain gorillas between
Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo has proved a true
conservation success story, as evidenced
by the 26% increase in the mountain gorilla
population in the last 7 years.
Last week, another 22
baby gorillas were named at the 2011 Kwita
Izina ceremony, which focused on raising
global awareness of sustainable community
development as a tool for mountain gorilla
conservation.
