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In Safe HandsTwo baby gorillas, rescued from poachers in two separate incidents in late September, are now being cared for at an orphan sanctuary in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They will undergo a quarantine of at least three months together.

The two females—about nine and five months old—are Grauer's gorillas, also known as eastern lowland gorillas. Found only in eastern DRC, where armed conflict has thwarted the protective efforts of wildlife authorities, the species is endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Grauer's population has plummeted in recent years because of poaching, and there may be fewer than 4,000 gorillas left, Virunga officials say.(Related: "Baby Gorilla Rescued From Wildlife Smugglers.")—Stefan Lovgren

Photograph courtesy LuAnne Cadd, Virunga National Park

Pictures: Orphan Baby Gorillas Rescued From Poachers

Freed from poachers, two gorillas have found refuge in the arms of surrogate "mothers"—male caretakers who offer crucial 24-hour TLC.

October 4, 2012