gorilla.cd

Welcome to gorilla.cd. 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!

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 also the second oldest national park in the world, behind only Yellowstone. 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 gorilla.cd

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 watched CNN’s Anderson Cooper or read National Geographic, then you’re probably familiar with many of the key contributors here, such as Innocent, Diddy, Augustin, and Norbert - to name just a few. Emmanuel de Merode, who was appointed Chief Warden of the park in August 2008, also 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 gorilla.cd?

The site is run by Samantha, Eddy, Katya, Joel, and Liliane 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 gorilla.cd Community

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!

And of course, create your own personalized campaign page at gorilla.cd! With your own page you can raise money, keep in touch with friends, and let everyone see your progress. Just send an email to  info at gorillacd.org to get started.

The Difference Between the gorilla.cd Blog and the WildlifeDirect Blogs

 info at gorillacd.org.

How to Donate By Check

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

For UK and European donors (Sterling & Euros): Please send a check, made out to Africa Conservation Fund (UK) Ltd, to 6 Bewdley Street, London, N1 1HB, UK.

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 gorilla.cd

This is the most direct way to put your money to work saving the mountain gorillas and Virunga National Park. gorilla.cd is 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 gorilla.cd 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 gorillacd.org and we will do our best reply to you as quickly as possible.

Press Inquiries

Please email  press at gorillacd.org

Thank you for being a part of the solution!