Protecting Gorillas
Effective conservation requires the direct, sustained protection of wild animals in their natural habitats. We are on the frontlines of gorilla conservation, with our dedicated teams on the ground every single day working to ensure the survival of gorillas.
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is on the frontlines of gorilla conservation, with our dedicated teams on the ground every single day working to ensure the survival of gorillas in the wild.
Our nearly 60 years of daily direct protection helped save mountain gorillas from the brink of extinction and stabilized their tiny population. In 2001 we expanded our protection to the critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas, which have been experiencing rapid declines for decades.
Protecting Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda
All mountain gorillas live within protected national parks, but they still face critical challenges from habitat encroachment, climate change and threats from poachers’ snares, which are set for other animals.
We directly protect approximately 50% of the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda through daily direct, intensive protection efforts by our dedicated teams of trackers. Our research has shown that this is the most effective form of protection. Because of these intentional efforts by the Fossey Fund and our partners, mountain gorillas are the only great ape increasing in numbers.
Protecting Grauer’s Gorillas in Congo
Grauer’s gorillas, found only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have declined by over 60% in recent decades. Unlike mountain gorillas, they live mostly outside protected areas, making conservation efforts critical.
After years of research and assessment of Grauer’s gorillas and other wildlife in the area, the Fossey Fund established a research and conservation station in the DRC in 2012. Now officially established as the Nkuba Conservation Area, it protects over 600,000 acres of rainforest and countless species, including gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and leopards, in partnership with local communities. Read more about our community-managed forests in Congo here.
Deep in the forest, our trackers spend weeks monitoring unhabituated Grauer’s gorillas, following their trails a day behind to gather vital data on their movements, diet, and population.
Click here to read a story about one of our Congolese trackers, who was originally a hunter in the forest.
