ASHEBORO, N.C. (ACME NEWS) — The North Carolina Zoo will partner with wildlife conservation organizations Saturday to collect discarded electronics and raise awareness about threats to gorillas in their natural habitat.
The Zoo is hosting a cell phone recycling drive Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the gorilla habitat in Africa as part of Gorillas on the Line…Answer the Call, a global initiative created by the Gorilla Species Survival Plan through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Visitors who bring old cell phones, tablets, iPods, MP3 players, or e-readers will receive a free Gorillas on the Line t-shirt while supplies last. Zoo gorilla keepers will be on hand to answer questions about the animals.
The recycling drive coincides with World Gorilla Day, observed annually on Sept. 24.
A critical component in electronic devices is coltan, a metallic ore found primarily in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo — the heart of gorilla habitat. Mining operations destroy natural habitats and displace gorillas, leaving them vulnerable to poaching.
The Zoo has partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for more than a decade to protect gorillas in the wild. One key method involves training African rangers using SMART technology on handheld devices to track illegal poaching and monitor gorilla movements. The system has documented reductions in snaring and hunting in multiple gorilla habitats.
The Zoo’s resident troop includes seven western lowland gorillas: silverback Mosuba, females Jamani and Olympia, blackback Hadari, and adolescent males Apollo, Bomassa and Dembe.
For more information about the Zoo’s conservation efforts, visit www.nczoo.org/conservation/international.
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