Giving Day for Apes 2020

GRACE is the world’s only sanctuary for rescued Grauer’s gorillas, a Critically Endangered subspecies found in war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Grauer's gorillas have suffered a catastrophic population decline of nearly 80% in the past 20 years, largely due to poaching exacerbated by insecurity and humanitarian crises in the region.

GRACE provides rehabilitative care for gorillas orphaned by poaching, nursing orphans back to health and giving them the chance to be with other gorillas again. The 14 gorillas at GRACE—all orphans—form a tight-knit surrogate family. The ultimate goal is to reintroduce rescued Grauer’s gorillas back into the wild, and GRACE is breaking new ground by planning the first reintroduction for this subspecies.

GRACE has a major conservation education and behavior change focus as well and partners with local communities to implement conservation actions to protect wild gorilla habitat. GRACE works with Congolese communities on conservation education, forest protection, and sustainable livelihoods to help secure a future for orphaned gorillas and their wild counterparts and to foster a peaceful coexistence between humans and gorillas.