For a brief moment, there was no barrier between them. Just curiosity, trust, and a connection between two living beings sharing the same space. And then the moment passed.

Because moments like that don’t last when a species is disappearing. That was the reality in 1978.

The mountain gorillas’ forest was being torn apart as were the gorilla families. There were so few left that many believed they might not survive at all.

Had nothing changed, mountain gorillas would be gone today. Not gradually. Not peacefully. Through loss, pressure and violence – until there were none left.

People refused to accept that extinction was inevitable. They took action to stop it.

Our founder Dian Fossey stayed in the forest when it would have been far easier to leave. Her research assistant Ian Redmond (now chairman of trustees, of The Gorilla Organization) and others worked alongside her, studying, protecting, and fighting for every remaining group.

They convinced local people to help save gorillas too. They turned former poachers into protectors. Rangers put themselves in danger to defend gorillas from illegal hunters, armed militias and illegal miners.

None of this would have been possible without people like you.

Mountain gorillas are proof that when people act in time, and keep on acting, extinction can be stopped.

But there is a heartbreaking truth we cannot ignore.

Mountain gorillas represent just 1% of all gorillas left in the wild. And we have to protect them all the time.

The other 99% are still under immense threat and are disappearing fast. Without protection, gorillas will not survive. They will vanish.

Western lowland gorilla populations have been slashed by more than 60% in the last 20-25 years, and continue to be devastated by habitat destruction, illegal hunting and disease.

Grauer’s gorillas have seen an estimated 60% to 80% decline in recent decades due to fighting, illegal mining and their homes being destroyed.

Cross River gorillas remain the rarest of all, with only a few hundred individuals left. They are extremely vulnerable to habitat loss and poaching.

And now, Ebola is once again threatening gorilla populations.

Let’s give him a real reason to celebrate it – by acting to protect all gorillas. Although he has had no involvement with this appeal, he has been a great friend
to us in the past and is a true inspiration to everyone at The Gorilla Organization. Without Sir David, there would be no mountain gorillas today. With your support, we can continue to protect them, and do even more to save all
gorillas in the wild.

Without protection, gorillas will disappear. Will you help us do it again?

Will you make a gift to help protect all gorillas from extinction?

…will keep rangers in the forest protecting vulnerable gorilla families day and night. You could provide emergency monitoring during the current Ebola outbreak. You can help support work with local communities to find ways to feed themselves and their families without harming gorillas.

Together, we have helped mountain gorillas come back from the brink.

Now we have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to do the same for every gorilla species still fighting for survival.

Before it’s too late. Before moments like the one Sir David Attenborough experiences exists only in memory.