The Gorilla Page

Mark Purcell (he who wrote this page) is a friend of mine who I asked to write this section. I felt that even though there is a home page for the Gorilla foundation, other people need to get the word out about the truth of these gentle giants. So, every now and again, he will be updating this page to give you the information that should be known about gorillas.

NEWS FLASH:

Gorilla Saves Injured Human Child!

Binti Juna, A female lowland gorilla was the center of media attention in August of 1996. She had obtained "Hero" of the year after her rescue and gentile treatment of an injured child who had fallen into her zoo exhibit. People were astonished at the video footage of the gorilla cradling the unconscious little boy and then carrying him to a door where zoo keepers could reach him. This wasn't the first time a gorilla did such a thing, for several years ago, a seven foot tall male (a silverback) named Jambo, received media attention when a young boy had fallen into his exhibit, and he too astonished people with his gentile caressing of the unconscious child.

Binti's story was on every news broadcast. The public and newscasters were amazed and fascinated. The message from the media was this: Gorillas are gentile and intelligent! To those who study gorillas and work with them, this is not news. They know how gentle and intelligent gorillas are and have always been but the public's reaction to such stories demonstrates that many people still do not know these basic facts about gorillas...why? Because so many movies, television shows, novels and comic books, supermarket tabloids and children's cartoons and many toys often depict gorillas as monsters, murdering beasts or brutal, aggressive creatures. A recent survey showed that gorillas were among the most hated animals in the world, simply because of the wrongful "King Kong" stereotype that has plagued this noble species since their discovery. The fact is, there has never been a case in which a gorilla has killed a human being.

Binti's fame was fleeting, and the news media quickly turned its attention on other things. Meanwhile, free-living gorillas - gorillas every bit as gentle and intelligent as Binti, are quietly being slaughtered...eaten into extinction! Yes, eaten! The commercialized illegal killing of gorillas for "bush-meat" delicacies to feed non-other than the very loggers who are cutting down the rain forests. Yet this very important news is tragically under-reported.

Only an international public outcry can stop this slaughter. There are less than 400 Mountain gorillas left in existence and the population of lowland gorillas, like Binti, is also declining at an alarming rate. As a member of the Gorilla Foundation, I emplore people to please help by spreading this news, criticizing those companies and entertainment industries that exploit gorillas by depicting them as malevolent beings, join the Gorilla Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-deductible organization that continues to study and aid gorillas in captivity and in the wild. Isn't it time, we humans started acting "human" and try to undo the damage that our species has done?

Mark Purcell

Resident of Auburn, N.Y.

The Gorilla Foundation. Box 620-530 Woodside, CA 942062

415.851.8505 FAX: 415.851.0291

www.gorilla.org

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Copyright © 1996 A.P.E. Productions All rights reserved.
Revised: December 29, 1996.

All photos are the property of The Gorilla Foundation. They may not be reproduced in any way without permission.