The threats

Imagine that you're one of the poorest people on earth. Now imagine your only chance to survive is by mining, farming and hunting in the rainforest next to your home. It's a no-brainer right? Trouble is this land is also home to some of the most endangered species in the world, and every time you enter the forest, you are damaging the forest and the gorilla habitat. Oh, and you're not alone - you live in one of the most densely populated areas in Africa.

How we help

The Gorilla Organization works with African NGOs (nice good organisations) to help local populations get everything they need outside the forest.

How helping local people helps gorillas

Everything the gorillas need is right there in the forest. So we work with local communities to make sure that the forest stays just as it is.

Take Isabelle for example - she lives in Rwanda right on the border of a National Park. Money raised by Great Gorilla runners means that we were able to show her how to grow giant crops to feed her family so she no longer has to collect food from the gorillas forest.

And Alphonsine - we showed her how to make her own firewood saving stove that uses 80% less wood than her old stove, so more trees stay in the forest for the gorillas, and life is a little less difficult for Alphonsine too.

Then there are the school children from Gitaraga Primary school with their new water cistern. They used to spend the first half of their day collecting water from the gorillas' forest, but now they just turn on the tap and have more time for learning.

The Gorilla Organization relies on the sponsorship and support from people like you. So be one of the extraordinary people that helps us save an incredible species in amazing ways all around the world, so that the world will always have great gorillas.

There are 4 types and they all live in West and Central Africa:

1. Mountain Gorillas

One of the most endangered animals on earth. There will be as many Great Gorilla Runners in London in September 2008, as there are Mountain Gorillas - just 720!

2. Eastern Lowland Gorillas

There are an estimated 3,000 of these slightly less hairy gorillas, which doesn’t mean they are any less important. I guess this seems like quite a few compared to the Mountain gorillas but when you realise that there were around 17,000 only ten years ago you can understand just how threatened they are.

3. Western Lowland Gorillas.

These gorillas were thought to be relatively safe because they live in huge dense forests, which are pretty hard to get to. But that was before people started building roads through the forests and a nasty ebola virus killed thousands of them in just a few months. 60% of these gorillas have been wiped out in less than 30 years.

4. Cross-River gorillas.

Rarely seen, even more rarely photographed, these are some of the most elusive and threatened creatures on the planet - there may be as few as 250 left in the world.