[UgaBYTES] Friend a Gorilla: Endangered Mountain Gorillas seeking help through Social Networking

[Mwathi Francis]

The Uganda Wildlife Authority launched a scheme to allow gorilla lovers
short of time or money to visit the endangered apes to become virtual
friends with them on the net. The "Friend a Gorilla" project was launched
last month in Kampala and costs just one dollar a year for enthusiasts. The
money generated is intended to help with mountain gorilla conservation. The
use of technology has been employed to not only attract online users to
visit the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in south-west  Uganda but also bring
these gorillas into the sitting rooms of people around the globe, by
positioning cameras in the wild. Through a system of cameras placed in this
forest viewers will be able to watch the gorillas within their natural flora
and fauna.

Any one can be a friend of a gorilla or follow specific gorillas living the
forest on Facebook or Twitter for a minimum donation of $1. You will get
updates on your gorilla friend(s), including photos, videos, and GPS
coordinates, all of which are gathered by actual trackers that visit the
gorillas daily.

Uganda is home to some 340 of the world's estimated 720 highly endangered
mountain gorillas. The animals are found only in Bwindi and in the Virunga
mountains on the border of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC).



Also Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8GG90zWNw&feature=player_embedded


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Francis Mwathi
Support Community Facilitator
UgaBYTES Initiatives (www.ugabytes.org)
Telecentr.org (www.telecentrecommunity.ning.com)
Tel: +256 414 370163
Mob: +256 783 010269
Skype: francis.mwathi
E-Mail: mfrancis at ugabytes.org