Prince Charles gives 'gorgeous' baby gorillla name inspired by nature

Prince Charles has named a baby gorilla in Rwanda as part of an ancient ceremony to protect and celebrate the country's endangered species. 

• Prince Charles has named a baby gorilla in Rwanda as part of the African country's centuries-old tradition. 
• The Prince of Wales gave the newborn baby an environmental-inspired name, in the hope of highlighting the importance of conservation work and sustainable tourism. 
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Prince Charles showed off his commitment to the planet yet again today, after giving a baby monkey in Rwanda a name inspired by environmental action. 

The Prince of Wales, 74, took to Twitter to announce that he had called a newborn gorilla Ubwuzuzanye, which means Harmony in English. The sweet bestowment comes as part of the Kwita Izina event, a gorilla naming ceremony that has taken place in Rwanda since 2005. 

The tradition itself dates back hundreds of years and was established to celebrate the births of the rare mountain gorillas, as well as to help conversationalists track each individual baby and their groups in their natural habitat.

Prince Charles, who has spoken out about ecological issues on multiple occasions, said that he was 'delighted' to be invited to virtually name one of the 20 gorillas to the region this year. 

"The name I give him is Ubwuzuzanye, which means Harmony since the restoration of harmony between nature, people and planet is the most critical issue facing humanity," he announced on Friday. 

The update was met with plenty of positive comments from animal lovers on Twitter, with one person calling the precious monkey 'gorgeous.' 

Since the Kwita Izina ceremonies began back in 2005, about 239 mountain gorillas have been given names. Considered a 'critically endangered species', the adorable creatures are only found in three countries across four national parks. 

"Kwita Izina is a huge source of pride for all Rwandans," Dr. Tara Stoinski, President and CEO/Chief Scientific Officer at DFGFI, told the National Geographic in 2020. 

"It gives worldwide attention to the considerable achievements of the government and people in protecting mountain gorillas. At a time when conservation success stories are so few, what has happened here is truly remarkable, and highlights what can be accomplished when there is long-term investment and leadership in conservation."