Save Gorillas from Extinction

Gorillas are critially endandered and on the brink of extinction. They are killed for their meat; their habitats are destroyed by logging, mining, agriculture, and other invasive activities; and infectious diseases ravage their families.

The U.S. government funds vital programs that help alleviate these threats to gorillas. But the newly-released federal budget is promising deep cuts in these programs – putting the future of these animals and other threatened wildlife in even greater jeopardy.

The USAID Biodiversity and Sustainable Landscapes, The Great Ape Conservation Fund, and Wildlife Without Borders are programs that enable the U.S. Forest Service to work with African land management agencies to promote sustainable forest management and slow the destruction of the rainforests.

Programs protecting the world's wildlife and wild places amount to only a miniscule part of the overall federal budget. While we all recognize the need for responsible spending, skimming off funding for international conservation programs won't solve our budget problems. But it will strike a devastating blow to species already on the brink of extinction. Extinction is forever, and once it is done, it cannot be undone.

Do not make the mistake of allowing these endangered animals to go unprotected, because it is a mistake that can never be corrected.