News Item

Aussie Zoos Heed Call to Save Gorillas With Mobile Phones

Monday, 23 March 2009

Australian zoos have given their seal of approval to a national mobile phone recycling campaign to help save gorillas.

The illegal mining of coltan in West Africa is threatening the survival of gorillas and other primates through habitat destruction and violent unrest.

Distinguished primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall launched the campaign at Melbourne Zoo in October, and today the campaign went national with Australian Fur Seal Spud at Sea World becoming the first mobile recycler of the new Australia-wide program.

Sea World is pleased to be joining with other zoos across Australia to help alleviate this pressure and play a role in primate conservation.”

Melbourne Zoo’s Community Conservation Manager Rachel Lowry said the campaign aims to show people that old mobile phones can do something positive for gorillas and other primates in West Africa

"They’re Calling on You is not about making people feel guilty for having a mobile phone,” Ms Lowry said. ‘It’s about turning a process that has been threatening wildlife for years into something positive for the future of gorillas and other primates in West Africa .”

Ms Lowry said participating zoos will collect old mobile phones to give to the Aussie Recycling Program (ARP) to refurbish and on-sell. Melbourne Zoo collected more than 4,000 phones in the first four months of the campaign.

"The sale of refurbished phones will help zoos raise money for the Jane Goodall Institute’s important gorilla and primate conservation work in Africa, reduce demand for coltan, and divert mobile phones from landfill,” Ms Lowry said.

Polly Cevallos from the Jane Goodall Institute said "Many of the rangers and volunteers we work with in places like the Congo and Rwanda see first- hand the impacts of illegal coltan mining and poaching.

“Habitat is destroyed to make way for illegal mines, and roads providing access to these mines expose gorillas and other primates to poachers and the bushmeat trade.

“The Jane Goodall Institute is thrilled about They’re Calling on You because it raises awareness about this issue and actually achieves results. We have already received enough funding to pay the salary of a ranger patrolling the Rwandan border to help protect gorillas and other primates from poachers,” Ms. Cevallos said.

Old and unwanted mobile phones can be dropped off at Melbourne Zoo in Victoria, Perth Zoo in WA, Taronga Zoo in NSW, Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Zoo in SA, and Sea World in QLD.