The number of Mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo has increased by 12.5%.

A recent gorilla population census, the first since rebels took control of the area in 2007, estimated that 211 Mountain gorillas now live in the park.

10 babies were reported and importantly, no sign of gorilla mortality, although rangers did remove over 500 animals snares. Although these aren’t necessarily laid for apes, gorillas are sometimes the tragic victims.

“The birth of 10 gorillas in Virunga National Park is fantastic news for the population. The past 16 months of conflict in eastern Congo have been a worrying time for conservationists, who have not been able to monitor the gorillas during this time. We had no idea how the gorillas were coping in the middle of the war zone, but their resilience has delighted us all” said Jillian Miller, director of the Gorilla Oganization.

Mountain gorillas are critically endangered with only 720 remaining in the world. About half of these animals are found in the Virunga Mountains which form a trans-boundary conservation area straddling Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, with the rest found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.

Read more about the Congo gorillas on the Gorilla Organization website.