The GRACE Center for Rescued Gorillas

Young Grauer’s gorillas rescued from poachers or armed conflict are now cared for in a new, state-of-the-art Fossey Fund facility.

For several years, a number of young  Grauer’s gorillas confiscated from poachers in Rwanda and the Congo had been cared for in temporary housing. They benefited from medical care provided by our partner, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, and specialized care for their psychological rehabilitation supervised by Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International staff. However, they needed a more natural setting, with room for them to develop the kind of living groups that enable gorillas to survive and reproduce in the wild. The Fossey Fund was able to create an appropriate setting in a rural area of the Congo, in 2010. 

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center is the first facility of its kind in east central Africa, with room for up to 30 young gorillas to live in species-typical groups and roam through 350 acres of natural habitat. Construction was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The site was donated by the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology (TCCB) and is located just adjacent to the Tayna Nature Reserve; both are owned and managed by local communities, with help from the Fossey Fund. 

More than a gorilla haven

The GRACE Center will have an impact beyond the rehabilitation of rescued gorillas. Studies have shown that gorilla rehabilitation centers in other areas have helped to discourage the illegal trade in live gorilla infants. Authorities are quicker to confiscate poaching victims if they know there is a place that will receive them. In addition, the center will welcome researchers and students, and house a conservation education and public information program designed by TCCB students working with local conservationists and other authorities.

Many contribute

The Fossey Fund operates GRACE in collaboration with the Congolese conservation authority (ICCN) and Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, TCCB, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund and animal experts from Disney’s Animal Programs.