URGENT Appeal: Gorillas chances of survival are going up in smoke…

Every day, trucks carry 80 tons of charcoal out of the forests of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Charcoal made from the trees that the gorillas rely on for food and for shelter. In the past 20 years alone, the number of Grauer’s gorillas has fallen by 70%. Now, as fires caused by the illegal charcoal trade rage across large parts of eastern DR Congo, we need your help to bring these gorillas back from the brink of extinction.

It wasn’t always this way. The indigenous Batwa people once lived in harmony with the gorillas. They respected them and looked after the forests they both relied on. But now the Batwa, desperate and impoverished after years of living in exile and being the victims of discrimination, are being exploited by organized gangs. They are forced to enter the National Park to make charcoal. And every day, this illegal trade is destroying the gorillas’ vital habitat and threatening their very survival.

The Gorilla Organization has a long history of working alongside indigenous communities to address the threats facing gorillas. Now we need your support to help the Batwa living alongside Kahuzi-Biega and to bring an end to the illegal charcoal trade that is destroying the lives of people and gorillas:

The gorillas and Batwa can live in harmony once again, and the forest fires can be brought under control. But not without your help.

Remember: 80 truckloads of charcoal are leaving the gorilla forests every single day. There isn’t a moment to lose. The gorillas are counting on you.