Dear Friend,

Thanks to your ongoing monthly support, I’m excited to share this Earth Day update — and show you the real progress you’re helping make for gorillas and their rainforest home.

For over 45 years, I had the extraordinary privilege of working with Koko — a gorilla who learned to communicate with us through sign language.

She didn’t just change my life — she changed how the world sees gorillas: as intelligent, emotional beings with a deep capacity for love, empathy, and connection.

Now, we have a chance to use Koko’s legacy to save all gorillas from extinction.

This Earth Day, I invite you to watch a short video of children in a remote village in southeast Cameroon using the Koko Signs app at the world’s first Koko Compassionate Conservation Camp. These children live on the outskirts of a forest inhabited by the critically endangered western lowland gorillas.

Your ongoing support is helping us make real progress for gorillas — and we’re deeply grateful. If you’re in a position to do a little more this Earth Day, your one-time gift could help us take the next big step toward reaching the people who have the most influence on the future of gorilla conservation.

Your Earth Day gift will help us:

1) Deliver the Koko Signs app to more gorilla habitats across Africa — empowering children and adults to connect with gorillas as thinking, feeling beings.

2) Create compassionate conservation curricula — using Koko and Michael’s sign language stories to spark empathy and inspire local action.

3) Empower community-led protection for Cross River gorillas — the most endangered gorilla subspecies on Earth, with fewer than 300 remaining in the wild.

Koko showed us what’s possible when we give gorillas a voice.
Let’s honor her legacy — and protect all gorillas, before it’s too late.

Please join me this Earth Day — and help turn Koko’s vision for gorillas into reality.

“Poachers won’t be able to kill gorillas after using the Koko Signs App” — Baka Elder

Conservation through Communication

The Gorilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax ID is: 942-38-6151