Adopt a gorilla
The powerful mountain gorilla, now critically endangered with only around 880 left in the wild.
The mountain gorilla is one of four surviving gorilla subspecies. They’re found in just two isolated populations – in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, and the Virunga volcanoes – which span the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
CHOOSE A MONTHLY AMOUNT
Your adoption really helps
Animal adoptions like yours give a huge boost to our work. They help fund projects to work with local communities to monitor gorilla movement and reduce human-gorilla conflict.
Protect these incredible animals and receive:
Cuddly toy
An optional soft toy to love forever.
Regular updates
Both Wild World and My Gorillas magazines will keep you up-to-date three times a year.
Fact pack
Packed with facts, bookmarks and stickers.
A wonderful gift
Give a gift that will help protect the future of gorillas and their habitats
They’re found in high-altitude montane and bamboo forests – sometimes at elevations of 4,000m – where they mainly eat leaves, shoots and stems. Mountain gorillas generally live in groups with several females and their young, and one dominant male. Dominant males are known as ‘silverbacks’ because they have a patch of silver hair on their back and hips – which they develop when they’re about 12-15 years old.
Threats
Habitat loss
Mountain gorillas live in some of the most densely-populated parts of Africa – and a lot of their habitat has been lost to make more room for people. The gorillas are now confined to isolated high-altitude forests.
Poaching
Although poaching of gorillas is now thankfully uncommon, they can still often get caught in snares set for other wildlife, causing injury and even death.
Human illness
Because gorillas share much of our DNA, they can contract illnesses from people – but they don’t have the immune system to fight them. Even a simple cold can devastate an entire gorilla population.
Oil exploration
An emerging threat is the possibility of oil exploration in Virunga National Park – which is home to a quarter of all mountain gorillas.
How we can help
In 1991 we co-founded the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) alongside Flora and Fauna International, the African Wildlife Foundation and the three governments of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.
As well as monitoring the gorillas, we help local people use their natural resources in a sustainable way that doesn’t damage gorilla habitat. We also try to find ways to reduce people’s need to enter gorilla habitat. For instance, we’re developing alternative plantations for wood and charcoal, and installing water-harvesting tanks and better sanitation systems. This eases the pressure on the forests and the risk of people passing on diseases to the gorillas.
We promote ecotourism so people can see the benefit of living alongside gorillas.
Your adoption and support will help us:
- train rangers to detect and safely remove snares set for other animals, which can often severely injure or kill gorillas
- help to protect vital gorilla habitat
- help to train rangers to protect the gorillas against poaching of babies for the illegal pet trade
- educate people on how to reduce the risk of gorillas catching human diseases
- help reduce conflict between gorillas and humans when gorillas enter villages and farmland.
- work with local governments to improve the management of the National Parks where gorillas live
- fund our other essential work around the world
Mountain gorillas share up to 98% of their DNA with us.