from IFAW

November 2, 2006

Help these young gorillas get home

Dear Friends

I need your help today to make sure four young gorillas make it back

to their homeland of Cameroon safely.

In 2001 the four Western Lowland gorillas – now about seven years old

– were exported illegally from Africa to a zoo in Taiping, Malaysia.

When the illegal transaction was uncovered, the Government of Malaysia

sent the gorillas to the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria,

South Africa where they spent the last two years in captivity.

IFAW is one of a number of groups that have lobbied consistently to

have the gorillas removed from the zoo and returned to their homeland

of Cameroon. The Malaysian government has finally agreed to send the

gorillas home. IFAW has offered to pay for the costs of the transfer

of the gorillas to the Limbe Wildlife Centre sanctuary in Cameroon,

but I need your help to cover the enormous expense to make sure these

incredible creatures get home safely.

Gorillas could be extinct in the wild within the next 50 years

The largest of the great apes, gorillas are highly endangered, which

is why it is so critical we return them to a sanctuary within their

home range. Having endured decades of civil war in Central and East

Africa, gorillas are also the victims of increased habitat loss,

poaching for the bushmeat trade and the spread of dangerous diseases

like Ebola.

These four gorillas were captured from the wild as infants and then

exported to the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia using forged travel permits.

The gorillas were exported from Nigeria under the guise of being born

in captivity. The Nigerian zookeepers told investigators the animals

had been caught and brought to the zoo by a Cameroonian national.

The capture and caging of such magnificent, social and highly

intelligent animals is barbaric and a moral disaster. We have begun

preparations for the gorillas' return, taking every possible

precaution to ensure their health and safety. But now I need to raise

the proper funds as soon as possible to work with South African zoo

authorities to expedite the safe return of the gorillas.

Do you think you can take a moment right now to help us reach our goal

of AU$72,000 to safely transport these baby gorillas?

I have been waiting for these gorillas to be freed for quite some

time, and thanks to supporters like you, they are now ready to go

home. Please help me make sure they get home safely.

Sincerely,

Fred O'Regan

President and CEO

P.S. One of the best ways to help these young gorillas and other

animals in need around the world is to make a regular monthly gift.

Please consider becoming a Champion for Animals by joining IFAW's

monthly giving programme.

November 3, 2006

This is a fund-raising effort by IFAW, including a history of the T4 which

doesn't include the crucial roles of several other organizations (IPPL,

PASA, Last Great Ape, etc etc) ... All these organizations should be

jointly thanked/appreciated for their efforts on behalf of these gorillas

and so many other animals they help, and people should remember, it was a

group effort, not just one organization or person who made this happen!

Jane Dewar

-

" yitzeling " <yitzeling

Wednesday, November 01, 2006 8:40 PM