Gorillas on Thin Ice

Would you like to become an ice skating gorilla to raise funds for the Year of the Gorilla?

As part of the fundraising for the UNEP 2009 Year of the Gorilla initiative, “Gorillas on Thin Ice” will take place at the 900 square-metre ice skating rink in the gardens of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London.

The museum has donated the time from 10am to noon for the event on 15 January and the volunteer skaters taking part are being allowed to do so for free.

Gorilla outfits are being supplied by wildlife groups and non governmental organizations linked with primate conservation.

Renowned primatologist and Year of the Gorilla 2009 patron, Dr Jane Goodall said: "It is time for us to pool all of our resources toward saving these magnificent creatures. I am pleased to lend my voice to the Year of the Gorilla 2009, a campaign aimed at ensuring a future for this close cousin of humankind."

Funds raised at the Gorillas on Thin Ice event will go towards gorilla conservation in Africa being undertaken by registered NGOs.
The Born Free Foundation has announced its partnership in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2009 Year of the Gorilla initiative, promoting the conservation of gorillas in the wild across their natural range.

Gorillas are ecologically important in their habitats, strikingly similar to humans, intelligent and sensitive and have value in their own right, and the Born Free Foundation believes that the conservation community needs to unite to ensure the survival of these animals in the wild, where they belong.