Mission: Gorilla
WILL YOU JOIN OUR CRITICAL CAMPAIGN TO
SUPPORT ENDANGERED MOUNTAIN GORILLAS?
"There is more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging a glance with a gorilla than with any other animal I know. Their sight, their hearing, their sense of smell are so similar to ours that they see the world in much the same way as we do."
Sir David Attenborough, WWF Ambassador
Mission Briefing
Will you play a vital role in Mission: Gorilla? This is your chance to help conduct a colossal census of endangered mountain gorillas. It's pivotal to the greater understanding of how we protect this amazing species, one that exists in just one place on Earth.
Imagine there were just 1,000 humans left on our planet. It would be a catastrophe, wouldn’t it? But that’s the situation for mountain gorillas, one of our closest relatives.
50 years ago, only 400 mountain gorillas survived. The last census found 1,063 mountain gorillas, thanks to long term conservation strategies. But habitat degradation, disease, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, and climate change pose a severe risk to their survival.
The upcoming census will help us to monitor their population, identify threats and assess current conservation activities. The survey is an enormous undertaking: it will take months and the dense vegetation and steep terrain is challenging for trackers who have to cover hundreds of kilometres.
We have an expert team and a detailed plan but without critical funding this census is not possible. Mission: Gorilla is your chance to help these impressive forest dwellers to survive and thrive.
1063 mountain gorillas reported worldwide in the 2018 census
Clearance and degradation of their forest home caused by human activity is a mountain gorillas’ biggest threat.
98% of our DNA is shared with gorillas
Poaching of mountain gorillas is rare, but they often they fall victim to indiscriminate snares set for other species
Your Mission Impact
By joining Mission: Gorilla you’ll help us to discover more mountain gorillas and find out how the population has changed since 2018.
- You’ll enable us to identify and counter threats such as habitat degradation, climate change and snares.
- You’ll help mountain gorillas thrive by gaining vital insights to inform long term conservation strategies.
- You'll protect a vital habitat for a wealth of biodiversity for generations to come.
Our teams are doing their preparation for the upcoming census. They know the survival of mountain gorillas depends on them. But it depends on you too. Without vital funding the census cannot happen, and long-term conservation activities cannot be sustained. Please join Mission: Gorilla today.
one home
The entire global population of mountain gorillas is confined to just two isolated groups in East-Central Africa – one in the Virunga Volcanoes (a region spanning 3 national parks in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)) and one in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, which connects to Sarambwe Nature Reserve, DRC.
The upcoming census is being conducted across the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park home to around 50% of the mountain gorilla population.
Teams led by our partners will follow reconnaissance routes’ 500m apart. If they detect recent gorilla trails or dung, they’ll follow them until they find a nesting site. Teams will avoid direct contact with gorillas, while searching for signs of wildlife and illegal activities.
The teams will collect gorilla dung samples and send them off for DNA testing. This will help us accurately determine how many individual gorillas exist in the region.
"We are all connected. We are all part of the same planet."
Sir David Attenborough, WWF Ambassador
Meet the Team
IGCP
Our long-term partners in the region and our main allies in Mission: Gorilla. IGCP’s aim is to ensure the conservation of mountain gorillas and their habitats.
Eustrate
The Field Expert. Tents, camping supplies, and route mapping. Eustrate is helping coordinate the mission.
Nelson
Chief Park Warden Nelson is one of the most experienced wardens in the region. He leads on efforts to keep gorillas safe from snares, traps, and other illegal activities.
You
Without vital funding this mission cannot happen. Can the gorillas count on you too?
£15
£30
£50
Your donation will help protect endangered mountain gorillas and carry out other vital conservation work around the world.