World Gorilla Day 2023 - Celebrating Decades of Success
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- čas přidán 18. 10. 2023
- The Aspinall Foundation (TAF), famous for their ground-breaking work protecting and rewilding Western lowland gorillas, are celebrating almost 40 years of conservation success this World Gorilla Day.
World Gorilla Day is a day of awareness for the largest of the great apes. Two species can be found in equatorial Africa: the eastern and western gorilla. The critically endangered Western lowland gorilla is the smallest subspecies, yet males can still easily reach weights of 270kg. Poaching and disease have ravaged the western lowland gorilla, with numbers estimated to have declined by 60% in the last 20 years, leaving a fragile population of fewer than 100,000 individuals.
The Aspinall Foundation has been working with the governments of the Congo-Brazzaville and the neighbouring state of Gabon since 1987 to help stop the rapid decline of critically endangered western lowland gorillas. In 1989, the first gorilla orphanage was set up in Congo-Brazzaville. This project has rescued over 100 gorillas orphaned by the bush meat trade and poaching.
Since 2002, in collaboration with governments of Congo and Gabon, The Aspinall Foundation’s team have protected more than 1,000,000 acres of prime gorilla habitat in the Bateke Plateaux & Lesio Louna Reserves. Once an area where wildlife was driven out due to hunting and poaching, it is now a thriving ecosystem where gorillas, forest elephants, leopards and many more roam free.
The earliest gorillas to be released here originated from orphanages and sanctuaries in the region. Over time, our work reduced the number of gorillas being orphaned and the number of rehabilitated gorillas available for reintroduction reduced. To increase the genetic diversity of the vulnerable local populations, gorillas bred in the UK at partner parks Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Reserve began to be returned to the lands of their ancestors in 1999. There, the rewilded gorillas have proven time and time again that captive-born animals can adapt to life in the wild with the correct expertise and management.
In 2021, conservation history was made when The Aspinall Foundation celebrated the first ever birth to captive-born gorillas in the wild. The baby western lowland gorilla, named Taali, was born to mother Mayombe, who was rewilded from ZooParc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, France and father Djongo, who was born at Port Lympne Reserve in Kent and repatriated to Gabon in 2013.
Thanks to The Aspinall Foundation’s active conservation work in equatorial Africa, over 75 gorillas have been reintroduced to the wild and countless more have been protected. The released gorillas are carefully monitored, and they continue to thrive and breed successfully, with at least 35 wild births to date.
A small selection of some of the most successful projects to date include the astounding rewilding progress of Joshi, who travelled from Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent to the Congo in 2021. Once in Congo he was introduced to young orphan gorillas who been rescued and rehabilitated by The Aspinall Foundation. Joshi has settled into island life well and learned essential forest skills from his young companions. Now that Joshi is fully acclimatised to his new surroundings, he is progressing through his nutritional transition in preparation for the next stage of his rewilding journey, which will eventually see him leave his private island and enter the surrounding protected forests in a soft release.
Lengui’s story is equally moving. She is a wild born gorilla who was orphaned when her mother was caught in a poacher’s snare in northern Congo. Lengui’s mother tragically did not survive, but her daughter was rescued and rehabilitated by The Aspinall Foundation in 1994.
Eight years after losing her family, Lengui got trapped in a wire snare which cut through her flesh to the bone and caused the loss of fingers. To save her life, The Aspinall Foundation veterinary team were forced to intervene. Lengui’s arm had to be amputated below the elbow. Following a course of antibiotics and a recovery period, Lengui was re-released into the wild, where she quickly adapted to the loss of her arm. She continues to live wild at the reintroduction site in Congo, where she has had at least two babies and has been spotted looking happy and healthy on the camera traps used by The Aspinall Foundation team to monitor the gorillas.
These projects are just a few examples of the incredible work The Aspinall Foundation are carrying out around the world. Proposals have been submitted to rewild further gorillas from the UK - If you want to support these future projects and help keep this incredible species in existence please show your support by making a donation or adopting a gorilla.
www.aspinallfoundation.org
Thank you the Aspinall family. I absolutely love Gorillas, I am never going to meet one unfortunately, but I want them to have their freedom and enjoy their lives without being hunted, murdered, or confined in a prison. Xxxx
I was a fan of your Dad many years ago...I was so impressed with his love for animals: Fast forwatd, I searched his name & your Amazing foundation came up. The extent you & your family go to to save animals brings me to grateful tears...at Last, someone is doing the right thing for these wonderful, innnocent animals and I cannot thank-you enough. I can only hope that such compassion for animal welfare (and their habitat) extends to future generations, as it appears to have. Thank-you for being a blessing to the universe.
This planet needs more people like you ❤❤❤
Lucky and good hearted people. Thank you ❤
Beautiful ❤️ I don’t have words to describe my hatred for poachers.
1:05 I bet that really hurt, even though it was just being playful.
😅😅😂😂right
This made may day❤
Keep up the great work.
Wish I had the opportunity to sit down and spend time in person connecting with some gorillas.
What an amazing family. Thank you for doing everything you’re doing. Your videos almost bring tears to my eyes.
They just ❤ Freya! Don't hurt her gorillies!! You need her to be tip top shape too carry on this
Amazing Legacy!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you very very much 🙏🌞🌞🌞🌳🍀🌿🌲☘️🌱💚💙💚💙💚💙
Thank you 🙏🥰
good work, Freya!
👏👏👏
Majestic magnificent ❤❤❤❤❤
Made my day
❤❤❤❤❤
🌊🔥✨
I love these animals and for some reason just never thought about being afraid of them. It hurts my heart that others don't love them but want to kill them and do kill them for no good reason at all. 😢❣️🦍❣️