Gearing Up 4 Gorillas' (G4G) is the only UK charity that focuses 100% on the conservation of the mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park, eastern DR Congo, through providing funds and equipment to the rangers whose job it is to protect them.
Gearing Up 4 Gorillas' (G4G) is the only UK charity that focuses 100% on the conservation of the mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park, eastern DR Congo, through providing funds and equipment to the rangers whose job it is to protect them.
The Senkwekwe Centre is the only orphan mountain gorilla facility in existence and is home to the only four mountain gorillas to have ever thrived in human care. Be part of the team that supports the Senkwekwe Centre and its unique work!
Having provided the initial funding to get the Centre up and running, G4G’s aim is to provide ongoing support plus any additional equipment that is needed.
The Senkwekwe Centre is the only orphan mountain gorilla facility in existence and is home to the only four mountain gorillas to have ever thrived in human care.
Ndeze and Ndakasi are now 8 years old. Both were orphaned when their mothers were killed in separate incidents in 2007. Ndeze’s mother was Safari, a well-known and loved female from the Senkwekwe gorilla family living in Virunga National Park.
The slaughter of silverback Senkwekwe and six other members of the group, including Safari, on 22nd July 2007 was a very dark day for Virunga. Ndeze was scooped up by her brother as he ran for safety and subsequently rescued by the Gorilla Doctors as she wouldn’t have survived without milk. Read more….
The oldest orphan, Maisha, was confiscated from poachers at an early age and looked after by the Gorilla Doctors at a facility in Rwanda until her ‘repatriation’ back to DR Congo and the Senkwekwe Centre.
Matabishi is the youngest orphan. He was found in a corn field just outside the Park in June 2013. Maisha’s motherly instincts led her to take Matabishi under her wing readily once at the Senkwekwe Centre.
The four orphans need care and company 24 hours a day. Four of Virunga’s rangers have been gorilla carers since the Centre opened in 2009. Andre Bauma heads up this dedicated team that watches over the gorillas daily.
The carers are firmly part of the gorillas family and they spend all their time with them, ensuring they have the right type and amount of food, playing with them and monitoring daily for signs of behavioural or health changes.
Dr Eddy Kambale, head Gorilla Doctor in DR Congo, undertakes monthly checks on all four and is on hand to treat any illness or injury.
Up until the age of three or so, the orphans need regular milk feeds and when older, they feast on a wide variety of natural vegetation collected from the forest daily and vegetables and fruit bought from the local market.
The Centre is expensive to run and donations will ensure these critically endangered gorillas continue to receive the very best care in their natural surroundings. Please consider being part of the ‘worldwide support team’!
| Item | Cost per year - £ | How Many | Total per year - £ |
| Milk Feeds | 313 | 1 (Matabishi) | 313 |
| Adult Gorilla Food | 780 | 3 (Ndeze, Ndakasi, Maisha) | 2,340 |
| Gorilla Carer Salary | 3,500 | 4 | 14,000 |
| Centre Maintenance | 7,800 | 1 | 7,800 |
| Total: | 24,453 |
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G4G is immensely grateful to Graveney Gin and Banana Phone for their generous, ongoing support:
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