World Gorilla Day

Take Action for Gorilla Conservation

World Gorilla Day is an annual event celebrating gorillas and empowering global communities to take action for gorilla conservation.

Why World Gorilla Day?

World Gorilla Day creates the opportunity for people all over the world to come together in celebrating gorillas, and more importantly, taking action to protect gorillas in the wild.

2017 was the inaugural year for World Gorilla Day and it also marked the 50th anniversary of the Karisoke Research Center, operated by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Established by Dian Fossey, Karisoke is the longest running gorilla field study site dedicated to the conservation, protection and study of gorillas and their habitats in Africa. There are many great organizations and individuals dedicated to fighting for their survival, but greater awareness and investment are essential to gaining ground for gorillas.

World Gorilla Day strives to be a rallying point for bolstering appreciation and action for these great apes.

As we mark our 7th anniversary of World Gorilla Day, we have much to celebrate as a community and thank the good work of partner organizations and individuals working around the world to make a difference for gorillas.

This year, we are once again inviting ALL to answer the call for gorillas: Individuals, organizations and conservationists of all kinds are invited to join the World Gorilla Day celebration on September 24 to help give a voice to one of our closest relatives.

Take Action for Gorillas

Get involved to help save gorillas. There are lots of things you can do.

Start a fundraiser and earn gorilla SWAG
Give to support gorilla conservation
Buy a World Gorilla Day T-shirt
Host a World Gorilla Day event at your company/school/neighborhood
Visit an organization hosting a World Gorilla Day event near you—check out the websites of participating organizations listed below to find out more.
Share a post on social media and tag #worldgorilladay—click here for our World Gorilla Day toolkit
Follow Gorilla SSP on Facebook and Instagram as we announce the 2023 Gorillas on the Line…Answer the Call campaign results for number of devices recycled and total donations raised for Gorilla SAFE initiatives.
And join us for the 2022 Gorillas on the Line…Answer the Call campaign marking the 6th year of this global mobile phone recycling challenge. This yearly community engagement initiative encourages the collection of small electronic devices that will be shipped back to Eco-Cell or other centers to be recycled. Proceeds from recycled devices support Gorilla SAFE conservation initiatives. Coltan is a critical component of cell phones and other small electronics and is mined in the forests of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo—right in the middle of gorilla habitat. As a result of mining for coltan, critical habitat has been destroyed and gorillas have been displaced or even killed by poachers. Recycling old cell phones helps reduce the demand for coltan and protects gorilla habitat in Africa. For more information on how you can get involved, email [email protected]. The challenge runs February 1 – April 30, 2023. Click here for the recruitment template.