gorilla.cd

Welcome to gorillacd.org. This is the Official Website for Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo — the cd lets you know we’re in the Congo!

Gorillacd.org and Virungacrisis.org are sponsored by Virunga Fund Inc, and African Conservation Fund (ACF), both non-profit charities designed specifically to support and fund the work of the park. Warden Emmanuel de Merode holds a position on the board of directors for both.

Virunga National Park: A World Heritage Site in Peril
Virunga is truly the crown jewel of Africa’s national parks. The park contains over 50% of sub-Saharan Africa’s biodiversity and is home to about 200 of the earth’s last 720 critically endangered mountain gorillas. Virunga is the oldest national park in the Africa. Despite this, the forests and amazing animals of the park, most notably the mountain gorilla, are in a desperate fight for their survival.

Be the Difference - Join the Fight to Save the Mountain Gorillas
Virunga National Park may seem like a world away, but you can help save its last mountain gorillas and other amazing treasures right from where you are sitting. Without the help of people like you, the gentle mountain gorillas of the park will be lost forever, and that time is drawing near. This is your chance to help protect them - right here, right now. Join our online team now!

The Team Behind gorillacd.org
The blog on this site is written by the rangers of Virunga National Park, and by others who are active in running programs on the ground in the park. If you have followed the blog for long, you’re probably familiar with many of the key contributors here. Emmanuel de Merode, who was appointed Chief Warden of the park in August 2008, contributes regularly to the site.  So if you want to get the latest news about the fight to save Virunga National Park and its mountain gorillas, and you want to take part in this historic global effort, you’ve come to the right place.

Who Administers gorillacd.org?
The site is run by LuAnne and Katya who, like the staff of Virunga National Park, are on the ground in the Congo working to save the park. At the end of the day, we’re all working together to save Virunga National Park and its mountain gorillas and we need your help. Please join us!

Be a Part of the gorillacd.org Community

Our website brings together all the people committed to saving Virunga National Park and its critically endangered mountain gorillas.

• We are the Rangers who protect the flora and fauna of Virunga
• We are the conservation groups working on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo who support the rangers and the park (such as WWF, MGVP & FZS)
• We are the donors - both institutional (such as the European Union) and individual (like Theresa, Sheryl, Iris, Lisa, Linda & Vanessa)
• We are the individuals and the organizations from across the globe who support Virunga National Park and wish to preserve this vast area for the generations to come

How You Can Join the Team

There are three ways that you can become part of gorilla.cd and join the fight to protect the park:

• Become a Friend of gorilla.cd - Visit our blog regularly, leave comments, and most importantly, spread the word
• Become a Donor - Contribute funds to protecting Virunga’s mountain gorillas and other wildlife
• Become a Campaigner - Take a big stand for the mountain gorillas and Virunga National Park
• Put on a benefit!
• Get people to sponsor you in a race!
• Get sponsored to climb a mountain!
• Organize an event!
• Get your company to include the park in its charitable giving program!

How to Donate
Donating is straightforward. Just choose the amount and whether it’s a single or monthly donation and then hit the DONATE button. You’ll be routed directly to PayPal, the most secure way to make a payment. If you ever need assistance donating, don’t hesitate to contact us at  info at gorilla.cd.

How to Donate By Check

For US donors: Please send a check, made out to Virunga Fund Inc, c/o 378 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231.

Virunga Fund, Inc. is a registered 501 C3 non-profit organization (Federal Tax ID: EIN 26.3292040 )

For UK and European donors (Sterling & Euros): Please send a check, made out to Africa Conservation Fund (UK) Ltd, Masters House, 107 Hammersmith Road, London W14 0QH, UK.

Africa Conservations Fund (UK) Ltd. is a registered charity (Registered number: 5598718, Charity number: 1111806)

Please remember to include a note if you would like your donation to go toward a specific item that is listed on the blog.

Why Donate via our websites and Facebook
This is the most direct way to put your money to work saving the mountain gorillas and Virunga National Park. Our websites at gorillacd.org and virungacrisis.org are the frontline defense of Virunga National Park and 100% of your donation will go directly to programs on the ground (only a small bank fee will be taken). Donating through these websites is the fastest and most effective way to support the effort to save Virunga National Park. And don’t worry, all our administrative costs are paid for by a grant from the European Union.

Virunga Fund Inc. is a Section 501(c)(3) charity in the United States.  It is also a “public charity” for U.S. tax purposes.  Our exemption letter was issued on February 5, 2009, retroactive to when we were formed on September 3, 2008. Please click on this link for further information. Your gifts to Virunga Fund, Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

How You Know You are Supporting Good Conservation
We have been working on the ground in Virunga National Park since 2006 and have managed over $600,000 in funds donated via the web. All of these funds were spent on vital conservation programs in the park (minus a small bank fee). We have paid over $100,000 toward Ranger salaries, $40,000 on Ranger uniforms, $40,000 on Advanced Ranger Training in Belgium, $40,000 toward the care of the orphan gorillas, $20,000 toward fuel wood for refugees living next to the park, and nearly $50,000 on two 4×4 vehicles for the Rangers - to name just a few. We have also used your donations made via this website to support the widows and families of Rangers who have been killed in the line of fire by militia.

We spend most of your donations directly to carry out our mission, but sometimes we make grants to our partner organizations operating on the ground in Virunga National Park to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and to maximize use of resources. In that case, we retain discretion and control over the use of those grants and they will be made for specific projects which further our mission and carry out the purposes indicated by you in making your gifts to us.

Questions or Comments
Please email us at  info at gorilla.cd and we will do our best reply to you as quickly as possible.

Press Inquiries
Please email  luanne at gorilla.cd

Thank you for being a part of the solution!