The Gorilla Organization (formerly the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund)

About us
The Gorilla Organization was established by the acclaimed conservationist Dr Dian Fossey in 1978 after her favourite gorilla Digit was killed by poachers. Mountain Gorilla numbers had fallen to an alarming 260 and trade in infant gorillas was rife. Today there are still just over a thousand mountain gorillas in existence - and they could disappear in this generation. Human disease, war and destruction of their rainforest habitat are the main threats. The Gorilla Organization tackles them through a programme of community-based conservation, anti-poaching patrols and conservation education. Your support is vital to ensure that mountain gorillas survive into the next century and beyond.

Our work
At the Gorilla Organization we understand that if gorillas are to have a realistic chance of survival in the context of Africa's other significant challenges, conservation and poverty alleviation need to work side-by-side. That's why we work with local communities to find alternative resources to those found in the forest, lessening encroachment into the gorilla habitat and helping lift local people out of poverty. At the same time, we work with the UN, EU and other agencies to resist incursion into the forest by international companies.