Donate and become a Gorilla Defender today!
Help Gorilla Defenders protect the protectors!
We need to equip the protectors of the mountain gorilla. They are called the HUGO volunteers.
We have already equipped half the HUGO volunteers with essential equipment. Let’s ensure the other half are protected too!
We need to raise £17,000
All that stands between Bwindi’s remaining mountain gorillas and extinction is a dedicated team of park rangers and a committed band of volunteers known as the Human Gorilla Conflict Resolution Team, or HUGO.
HUGO keeps gorillas safe: these dedicated volunteers keep gorillas safely within forest areas and protect them from human-wildlife conflict. Most mountain gorillas will raid crops as Bwindi forest is now closely surrounded by human communities. HUGO go to the site of the raid and ensure the gorillas are moved back to their forest home without harm. HUGO are essential and reported as almost 90 per cent effective in reducing the impact of crop raids. HUGO volunteers also monitor gorilla health, looking for signs of sickness and collecting faecal samples.
HUGO is the eyes and ears of the UWA: HUGO doesn’t just protect the great apes but is also the eyes and ears of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and tells them what training is needed to overcome specific challenges in their village. HUGO has massively improved the relationship between the UWA and the local communities and that is a key to the gorillas’ survival.
HUGO is changing hearts and minds: perhaps just as importantly, HUGO is helping to ensure that poachers become anti-poachers and now there are poacher reform groups in Bwindi villages.
However, these vital volunteers are grossly underequipped. They trek in worn-down boots and tattered coats, lack properly functioning walkie-talkies, and have insufficient tents.
Together, we have the power to change that. With your help we can provide these gorilla guardians with everything they need to ensure a bright future for Bwindi’s mountain gorillas.
Why your donations are so important
We need to raise £17,000
Your donations will purchase and deliver this equipment directly, with no money wasted on bureaucracy.
Rangers and volunteers are crucial in preventing gorilla extinction, and we are determined to help them. The men who volunteer are extremely poor and come from local communities in the Bwindi region, where gorillas live in the ancient mountain forests. Despite Uganda sitting on the equator, the mountains are cold at night, and it often rains – hard, tropical rain.
The volunteers can’t afford appropriate equipment themselves but with your support, Gorilla Defenders will directly supply HUGO teams with essential equipment in Bwindi National Park and provide training for new volunteers.
HUGO volunteers can spend several hours a night tracking gorillas and need tents – they had none until Viva! stepped in. Tents protect the men from mosquitoes (malaria is common in Uganda) and from the elements. The gorillas live in mountain forests – where it rains a lot! And the rain comes down in mighty downpours. Rain gear is esssential along with high quality, element-resistant coats! Viva! uses YOUR DONATION TO DIRECTLY SOURCE HIGH QUALITY EQUIPMENT and we DIRECTLY HAND OVER THE EQUIPMENT to the volunteers. We also monitor its use and are developing programs to further help the volunteers and to encourage poachers to become anti-poachers.
By protecting the protectors, we are protecting the future of the mountain gorillas and all the species that live alongside them.
Every penny you give goes directly to the Gorilla Defenders project – the funding is ringfenced and not used for administration
The power of your support
In such a short time we have already been able to accomplish so much – all because of the support of people like you. Our initial campaign raised about £15,000 – enough to purchase field equipment for half of the 140 HUGO volunteers.
Your donations have already bought:
Rainproof Gear: 80 Insulating jackets, 80 Rainproof coats and trousers, 80 Pairs of gumboots
Preventative Materials: 200 Boxes of surgical gloves
Stationery: 180 Pens, 30 Hardback tracking journals
Field Equipment: 80 Water bottles, a £1,272 field camera, 20 Camping tents, 40 Torches, 80 Flasks with lunchboxes, 20 Backpacks, 20 Stress-relief tools, 20 First aid kits, 6 Data collection tablets
Your donations have such a tangible and practical impact – not only for the gorillas but for the people protecting them.
Although we have already achieved so much, there is still a lot to do.
We have distributed equipment directly to the men who need it and they were overjoyed to be recognised, acknowledged but most of all, helped!
But half of the HUGO volunteers received nothing! Let’s put this right.
We need to raise £17,000
We need to raise a further £17,000 to buy equipment for the remaining 70 volunteers. Will you help?
Please become a Gorilla Defender today!
How you can help
- Donate today: Every contribution, big or small, helps equip the HUGO volunteers. £10 can buy a hardback tracking journal, £18 an insulating jacket, or £45 can buy a tent. Below are what we will source, buy and directly hand to HUGO volunteers. Remember there are about 140 volunteers – we fundraised successfully in 2024 to provide HALF with the equipment. The other half are still waiting for theirs! Let’s reach our £17,000 target and protect the protectors together.
- Spread the word: Share this campaign with your family and friends, and on social media. The more people we reach, the greater the impact.
- Join the movement: Show the world you’re a Gorilla Defender by purchasing one of our t-shirts. All the profits go to Gorilla Defenders!
