Year of the Gorilla enthusiast Laurel Colton organized an outstanding outreach and fundraising event at LA Zoo, California, on the 29th and 30th of August. This event was just one in a whole series of events Laurel has put together over the last months, and there is still more to come. It is enthusiasts like Laurel who make this campaign so lively, together with the support of CMS, GRASP and WAZA partners.
Together with a group of volunteers (thanks, guys!), Laurel assembled four infotables with a variety of information materials and fun activities for both kids and adults. Two of the tables were gorilla biofact-related and two were more gorilla conservation-related. Docents from LA Zoo gave talks to visitors about gorillas, the YoG, and the LA Zoo’s gorilla family group and bachelor group members throughout each day. The zoos enrichment team arranged for special icy treats (frozen tubcicles containing vegetables and fruits) to be given to gorillas to stimulate more activity in the heat of the day (and boy, was it hot!).
On Saturday, August 29th, Dr. Craig Stanford gave a lecture on gorilla biology and conservation, which was a great success, drawing in a crowd and helping raise 1300$ for gorilla conservation projects.
All weekend, visitors could see a replica of a gorilla skull, as well as hand and foot casts and prints up close. A map poster showed all four gorilla subspecies and where they live in Africa. Small kids could also “Groom a Gorilla” – large furry cut-outs of gorillas needed some insects and other debris removed from their “fur”.
The team also displayed a large YoG poster and a chart with the eight YoG-supported conservation projects. Two complementary conservation projects were specially featured – the Gorilla Organization’s fuel-efficient stoves program and the Virunga Fund’s biomass fuel briquettes program. The team felt these were probably the most eye-catching and practical programs to display for visitors. The zoo’s Eco Corp students (assisted by a docent) actually built a model of the fuel-efficient stove.
Thank you, volunteers (all of you)!A further acitivity was “Be A Gorilla Researcher”, with L.A. Zoo Research Volunteers guiding children (ages 8 and up) while the children could pretend they were researchers observing a gorilla, using a catalogue of basic behaviours to classify what the gorillas were doing. This activity showed the children how information about gorillas is obtained and how gorillas are studied in the field.
“Who Knows Whose Nose Is Whose?” was an activity teaching kids and adults to recognize the different gorilla species, and even individuals, by the shape of their noses, the “noseprint”.
“Guarding the Gardeners of the Forest” was a magnetic storyboard that allowed visitors to learn more about gorilla conservation. On magnets, images of all four gorilla subspecies, the natural/positive features of their habitats (e.g., foods they eat, vegetation, other animals that live with them, park rangers who protect them), and the major threats to their survival (e.g., deforestation, mining/coltan, charcoal trade, bushmeat trade, Ebola virus, warfare, human encroachment), were portrayed. Docents led visitors through the story by asking questions about what should naturally be part of gorilla habitat, then introducing the threats and talking about the consequences of these threats, and finally asking visitors how the problems could be resolved.
Gorillas are referred to as the “gardeners of the forest” because their presence helps maintain forest biodiversity. Gorillas disperse the seeds of many plants which they eat, some of which are endemic to their forest habitats. In addition, when gorillas build new nests each night, they clear away portions of the forest canopy, letting light in and encouraging new growth of seeds and saplings.
Last but not least, green gorilla hand stamps were also a big hit, as children LOVE to get an image of an animal stamped on their hands..
Thank you, Laurel, Craig, docents and team, great work!!!
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