They are also not planning on having a gorilla ride in the back of a pickup truck, moving from side to side, sticking its head in the wind. That form of entertainment is reserved for dogs, children and me. These gorillas will have a village of their own, with acreage, housing, security, medical care, education, healthy meals and recreation. We are not sure about the big screen, satellite television and jacuzzi, but so far, it sounds so good that we are thinking about buying gorilla suits and seeing if we can qualify as the first residents. The Dewars have opened their home, their wallets and their hearts to the plight of the gorillas who are growing more extinct in their natural environment with the passing of each and everyday.
Poachers slaughter whole gorilla families just to steal one or two of their young.
They sell them on the black market along with trophy heads, hands and feet. There is also a HUGE problem with the bushmeat trade, where gorillas, chimps, monkeys, duikers, etc are hunted for their meat alone, this brings in mega-bucks. In some African cities bushmeat is considered a delicacy although other Africans consider eating the bushmeat cannibalism and are adamantly against it. An education campaign is underway to eliminate the bushmeat trade and the Dewars are helping here too - as part of their education commitment in their mission statement. The mountain gorillas of Africa aren't expected to survive into the next century.