Dear Friends,

This Gorilla Protection Blog is a collaboration between WildilfeDirect, the Gorilla Organisation, WCS, the GTZ (German Development), GRASP, CMS, WAZA, PASA and Born Free Foundation, as well as other organizations involved in gorilla conservation. The goal uniting these various organisations is to raise as many funds as possible for a selection of important gorilla field-conservation projects.

Gorillas and the forests they live in are under pressure from all sides. Most of the threats are manmade – hunting, habitat loss, mining and war – and some are natural – such as diseases like Ebola. A combination of these threats, if left unmitigated, is a recipe for extinction and will lead to the disappearance of any viable gorilla populations from the wild within only a few decades – less than a gorilla lifetime.

Time is not on our side. This is why the UNEP Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) have jointly declared 2009 the Year of the Gorilla. This global campaign raises awareness and educates the public about gorillas and their threatened status, while at the same time raising funds for tangible on-the-ground conservation work. The projects featured here with the kind support of Wildlife Direct have been approved by experts and are of high conservation value. By donating, you can help us ensure that our grandchildren still have the chance to see these awe-inspiring beings in the wild.

The Year of the Gorilla 2009 also supports the decision by the gorilla range states to give the gorillas better protection through a legally binding agreement concluded under CMS. What is needed now is swift and effective implementation of this promising new instrument, and the Year of the Gorilla is a first big step in this direction.

Please go to www.yog2009.org to find out more. And don’t forget to tell a friend!!

With the Year of the Gorilla now well underway, you will be pleased to hear that we are about to start supporting a variety of important gorilla projects in collaboraiton with GRASP and the CMS.

The gorilla sound blog is about the western lowland gorillas in Mondika which is located on the border between the Republic of Congo and Central African Republic, in the Djeke triangle. The blog is about the daily life of a group of western gorillas called Kingo & C, their ecology, sociality and vocal system. Salma and her team will share the life and problems of forest living with you.

Meet Mekome the Jealous one 

The Gorillasound blog aims to inspire interest in this magnificent species and support the research of their behavior while participating to the conservation efforts of the site where the research will take place. Western gorillas are the ape species we know less about, even if there are present in all the Zoos of our big cites. Habituating western gorillas to our presence and study their behavior in their natural habitat takes years and few places have succeeded until now. Sites like Mondika need to be supported by all of us! Please help Salma and her team to make a difference. Visit Gorillasound and leave a comment, tell your friends and make a donation!