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The Gorilla Foundation established the Wildlife Protectors Fund (WPF) in response to the
"bushmeat crisis" —the slaughter of great apes and other protected and endangered wildlife in Africa for
the commercial trade of their meat. The Fund was established in memory of Wendy Gordon,
a passionate research assistant with the Gorilla Foundation from 1991-1998. It was later additionally
dedicated to the memory of Michael, the signing gorilla companion of Koko, who passed away in April of 2000,
and who experienced the bushmeat crisis first hand nearly thirty years ago, when his parents were killed by poachers in front of him
(a story he recounted in sign language, and which is captured on video).
Dr.
Anthony Rose is Director of the Gorilla Foundation's
Wildlife Protectors Fund (WPF), and founder of the Bushmeat
Project. More in-depth — and graphically explicit — information on the great ape bushmeat crisis can be found at the Bushmeat
Project website, bushmeat.net,
which is produced by Dr. Rose. |
Projects |
Prospectus |
African News Updates |
Alliances |
How to Help
WPF
Projects
- Conservation
Values Education:
WPF and its Africa-based partners are implementing educational
interventions in great ape ecology, gorilla communication,
and wildlife protection, aimed at increasing people's sense
of kinship with endangered wildlife and concern for their
well-being and survival. Gorilla Foundation writings, such
as Koko's Kitten and the soon-to-be-released Michael's
Dream, are key elements of these efforts. (see bushmeat.net
for more info)
- Humane
Values Research: WPF is supporting the design and
conduct of qualitative and quantitative research which measures
local people's attitudes towards apes, wildlife, and the
African environment. (see
bushmeat.net
for more info)
- Ape Sanctuary
Development:
WPF is helping great ape sanctuaries in Africa to improve
ape welfare, wildlife education, and interspecies research.
Special focus on ape orphan outreach and management will
attempt to secure funds and capacity to confiscate ape bushmeat
survivors and provide them with eco-social milieus that
optimize their natural development. An example of this project
is the recently dedicated "Michael
Sanctuary" for orphan gorillas.
(see bushmeat.net
for more info)
- Wildlife
Protection Audits:
WPF is attempting to organize an independent investigations
unit to audit wildlife protection efforts of local communities,
law enforcers, NGOs, and government agencies operating in
the Congo basin. (see
bushmeat.net
and kamman.com
for more info)
- Capacity
and Alliance Building: WPF is working to facilitate
the inclusion of the new disciplines and fields of endeavor
and the development of new organizing strategies to effect
the psychosocial, economic, and spiritual transformations
that will keep global consumerism from destroying wildlife
and wilderness. (see
bushmeat.net)
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WPF Prospectus
A comprehensive summary of the WPF's goals, projects and team
can be found in the
WPF Prospectus, To receive a PDF copy of the prospectus,
please email rose@gorilla.org.
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WPF African News
Updates
A series of monthly news updates on the progress being made
by the WPF in Africa can be found in our African
News Update section, which starts with the current article,
and links to an archive containing previous articles. Included
in this series are 5 articles by Dr. Anthony Rose that were
published in Grist Magazine online during Jan-Feb 2002. |
WPF Alliances
The WPF is allied with the Bushmeat Project, established by
The Biosynergy Institute to develop alternative ways to satisfy
the human needs that drive the unsustainable commerical extraction
and consumption of wild animals. Also under the direction of
Dr. Anthony Rose, the Bushmeat Project works in tandem with
the Gorilla Foundation to advance our common objective of saving
gorillas from extinction.
The Bushmeat Project's website, bushmeat.net,
also provides more graphical accounts of the crisis facing gorillas
and other great apes, for those who would like to become more
familiar with the reality we are attempting to change (though
parental guidance is suggested). |
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