(Bloomberg) —
(Bloomberg) —
Prince Charles joined global sports stars and philanthropists in naming 20 baby mountain gorillas in an annual Rwandan ceremony.
In an event known as kwita izina, tourism authorities borrow from the East African nation’s tradition of giving names to children at between three months and one year after birth. Rwanda is home to a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and through conservation efforts, the population is steadily increasing.
In the first in-person ceremony since Covid-19 closed borders, Brazil and Arsenal football legend Gilberto Silva, former Chelsea star Didier Drogba and Naomi Schiff, a professional racing driver and Formula 1 presenter, were among those to name the primates on Friday. The heir to the British throne, who joined virtually, called his baby boy gorilla Ubwuzuzanye, meaning harmony.
A project to expand the Volcanoes National Park “will ensure a bright future for the mountain gorillas that call it home,” Prince Charles said.
The reserve is within the Virunga Massif that stretches into neighboring Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo and is one of only two places in the world where the gorillas are found.
Orange is the New Black actress Uzo Aduba, singer Youssou N’Dour and Emerson Collective Founder Laurene Powell Jobs also named the infants this week.
The animals are a major draw for tourists to the region. The industry is Rwanda’s biggest foreign-exchange earner and the government is seeking to double revenue this year to $336 million.
Since 2005, more than 350 baby gorillas have been given names in the ceremony.
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