LEAD MAGAZINE | 2019
Decades of daily direct protection have saved
critically endangered mountain gorillas from
extinction and stabilized their tiny population.
We have now expanded the same methods
to help save nearby Grauer’s gorillas, which
are experiencing dramatic declines. All types
of gorillas are critically endangered and face
serious threats to their survival, but our daily
protection works!
PROTECTING MOUNTAIN
GORILLAS IN RWANDA
Mountain gorillas have been monitored and
studied closely since Dian Fossey began her
work with them in 1967, after establishing the
Karisoke Research Center. She started the
process of habituating them to the presence
of human observers, so that she could closely
observe and document their behaviors, status,
movements and other important information.
Today, Fossey Fund trackers and researchers
protect and study roughly half of all the
mountain gorillas in Rwanda, with the other
half protected by the Rwandan national park
authorities.
We have shown, using our 50-year database,
that this type of daily presence in the forests
is what is needed to protect these gorilla
populations from the many threats they face, as
well as to collect the information that is needed
to provide the most effective conservation
strategies. Tracker teams serve the role of both
protection and data collection and are the key
factor in saving the mountain gorilla population
Each morning, Fossey Fund trackers locate their
assigned gorilla group by finding where the
gorillas built their night nests and then following
the trail of crushed vegetation left behind as
the group moved away in the morning. After
finding the group and recording its location, our
trackers locate each individual in the group and
record information on general appearance and
health, and any change in group composition
due to births, deaths, immigration or emigration,
in order to track the population dynamics.
In addition, researchers collect detailed
information on behavior for our long-term
gorilla research database and specific studies.
This type of detailed data collection is possible
because the gorillas are accustomed to human
presence – what scientists call “habituated.”
In Rwanda, the Fossey Fund also has dedicated
anti-poaching teams, which patrol specific
sectors of the gorilla habitat to seek and guard
against illegal activities in the forest, especially
poacher activity, such as snares set to entrap
animals. The snares are intended for antelopes
and small game animals, but they can cause
serious injury or death to gorillas as well. Our
anti-poaching teams also record other illegal
activities in the forest, such as wood cutting or
water collection. All such information is provided
to park management and used to determine the
best methods for protecting the forest.
SYMBOLICALLY
ADOPT A GORILLA
Conservation doesn’t happen in isolation. Adoptions make great gifts!
That’s why our tagline is “Helping People. Saving
Gorillas.” We know that conservation only
happens when individuals join with organizations
to protect and save vulnerable species so that we
can all thrive together. Every donation saves a gorilla and changes a
life – how many gifts do that? From birthdays,
weddings, and other special occasions to thank
you gifts for business associates and clients –
symbolic adoptions make great gifts! Gorilla
adoptions also provide the recipient with a
unique opportunity to learn about conservation
through exclusive content from the field!
What we do works.
When you give to the Fossey Fund, you’re
investing in a proven model of conservation.
Due to the intensive protection Dian Fossey
began over 51 years ago, mountain gorillas have
reached a historic milestone: their numbers
have steadily increased over the past 30 years,
totaling just over 1,000 individuals today! But
their status could change in an instant due to
disease, climate change, and other daily threats.
That’s why we must keep working together to
ensure endangered gorilla populations remain
protected.
You can protect gorillas from anywhere on
the planet!
We’re fully green.
We work to ensure that every single dollar
we receive is used to its fullest potential in
order to conserve the endangered wildlife and
habitats we protect. That’s why our adoption
program is fully digital. It’s not only better for the
environment, but it means more direct gorilla
protection, and less spending on administrative
costs like postage and printing. It also gives
you the flexibility to print, display, and gift your
adoption materials however you see fit!
www.gorillafund.org
Travelling to Africa to see the gorillas in person
is the experience of a lifetime, but hopping
on a plane doesn’t always fit into our busy
schedules. When you adopt a gorilla, you make
an immediate and significant impact in the lives
of these endangered animals and the humans
that live near them. Like Dian and our teams in
the field, you can help keep the planet’s last wild
gorillas protected every single day.
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