Rwandan premier 'baptises' 22 gorillas

Rwandan Prime Minister Bernard Makuza led a traditional ceremony on Saturday to "baptise" 22 gorilla babies that was introduced six years ago for the endangered species. At the colourful name-giving event at Kinigi, on the edge of Volcanoes Natural Park, children disguised as gorillas represented the animals just outside their natural habitat. The park on the border between Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo is home to half of the world's 700 mountain gorillas. They were brought to the attention of the outside world by the renowned US primatologist, the late Dian Fossey. At the ceremony broadcast live on radio and television Makuza gave one of two gorilla twins born in February the Rwandan name Ijambo, literally "the word". "I name him Ijambo because what we do, the progress we make, enables us to speak in the concert of nations," Makuza said. The birth of the twins was a rare occurrence for the endangered species whose numbers have dwindled over the decades. Twins were also born in May, only the seventh time in the last 40 years that a gorilla has given birth to twins. The latest two will be named at next year's ceremony.