Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

GoPro For A Cause: GRACE Grauer Gorilla Sanctuary

22/12/2018

community

Dec 22, 2018

Click here to get involved.

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (or GRACE) is the world's only sanctuary for Grauer's gorillas, a Critically Endangered great ape that only lives in war-torn Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A close relative of the better-known mountain gorilla, Grauer's gorillas are one of the world's 25 most endangered primates with only 3,800 now remaining in the wild. They have lost 80% of their population in the past 20 years primarily due to poaching. GRACE cares for 14 gorillas orphaned after being captured illegally. GRACE gives them a surrogate family of other orphans and a natural forest habitat so they can be rehabilitated for eventual release back into the wild. GRACE teamed up with GoPro to film the journey to GRACE of a young gorilla named Lulingu and to follow her through the rehabilitation process.

Below, GRACE Executive Director Sonya Kahlenberg, Ph.D., tells Lulingus story.

Lulingu was just a baby - around 16 months old - when her family was killed for meat by an armed group. She was captured instead of killed, likely in order to be kept or sold as a pet. Gorillas are usually weaned around 3 years old, so it was way too early for her to be separated from her mother. She was found outside Kahuzi-Biega National Park in a village called Lulingu, which is where she gets her name. When found by the wildlife authority, Lulingu was hungry and had a gash on her waist caused by the chain her captors used to restrain her. Yet, she was surprisingly healthy. She is one of the lucky ones. Most gorillas in her situation succumb to malnutrition or other injuries before they can be rescued. Harder to diagnose were the psychological wounds that we knew Lulingu had. She had seen her entire family killed in front of her and had been kept for some time in the armed group's camp.

Lulingu received care temporarily in Virunga National Park then was transferred to GRACE to join other Grauer's gorillas. It's about a 300 km journey, but we opted to travel by plane because the roads in Eastern DRC can be treacherous as well as dangerous, given the widespread insecurity in the region. On move day, stormy weather delayed our plans, but a break in the clouds finally allowed the 4-seater plane to take off. A veterinarian was onboard to watch over Lulingu during the 1-hour flight, but she quickly fell asleep in her caregiver's arms. We landed on a rough airstrip nestled in a mountain valley then drove Lulingu the last 45 km to GRACE.

In our experience, what orphan gorillas need most is to be with other gorillas. However, all new arrivals must first go through quarantine to ensure they are healthy. During this time, human caregivers attend to their every need, 24 hours a day. Quarantine usually lasts 30 days, but Lulingu's was longer because she suffered from diarrhea, a condition that can turn serious for little gorillas. So we had to proceed slowly and carefully to help her digestive system adjust to her new surroundings. The GRACE caregivers called Lulingu the perfect gorilla because she was an easy charge. She ate well, loved to play, and when she needed medication, she took it easily.

The day Lulingu joined the gorilla group at GRACE was a joyous one for us. It was the first time since her capture that she was physically with gorillas again. Pinga, the alpha female, immediately started looking after her like an adoptive mother. Gorillas should never be taken from the wild, so giving them the opportunity to be reunited with other gorillas is at least something we can do to help right this terrible wrong. However, this is just the beginning of the story for Lulingu and her new family. Our ultimate goal is to return the gorillas to the wild where they can live free again. But for now, we are thrilled to see Lulingu happy and thriving at GRACE. We were fortunate to capture her story on film to share with the world. Thanks to GoPro for this amazing opportunity and partnership!

Join GoPro in supporting the rehabilitation and conservation of Grauer gorillas .
LINK: https://gopro.com/news/grace-gorilla-rehabilitation-and-conservation...
See more stories from gopro

Most recent headlines

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

01/05/2025

Nielsen Launches The Ad Supported Gauge, a New Look at the Ad-Supported TV Landscape

72.4% of overall TV viewing in Q1 2025 is of content that includes advertising ...

01/05/2025

LiveNow From Fox Hits a Half Billion Q1 Views on YouTube

NEW YORK LiveNow From Fox, Fox Television Stations' national news streaming service, has released viewing data showing the first quarter was the best quarte...

01/05/2025

Android TV Expected to Dominate Smart, CTV Market by 2030

The global installed base of Smart TVs and Connected TV (CTV) devices will reach 4.2 billion units by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2.65 billion in 2025,...

01/05/2025

Samsung TV Plus Adds 5 New Sports Channels

Samsung TV Plus has announced that it is expanding its existing lineup of more than 50 sports channels with five new free, ad-supported streaming television (FA...

01/05/2025

Carlo DiMarco Joins USSI Global

MELBOURNE, Fla. Carlo DiMarco has joined USSI Global as vice president of strategic marketing and growth, with responsibility for strategic business development...

01/05/2025

NAB to FCC: Dont Delete Certain Retransmission Rules

WASHINGTON The NAB has filed a wide-ranging rebuttal to proposals by the pay TV industry that the FCC delete and/or significantly change rules governing retrans...

01/05/2025

Fired CPB Board Members Sue Trump Administration

WASHINGTON The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has filed a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from firing three of its board members, claiming the pre...

01/05/2025

Riedel Opens Hong Kong Office

HONG KONG Riedel Communications today said it has opened a new office in Hong Kong, enhancing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region....

01/05/2025

NextGen TV: Sinclair Applauds New ATSC 3.0 D2M Phones

MUMBAI, India & BALTIMORE In a development that could advance efforts to bring NextGen TV to cellphones, FreeStream Technologies, Lava International and HMD hav...

01/05/2025

Screen Australia empowers 100+ distinctive Australian narratives

01 05 2025 - Media release Screen Australia empowers 100 distinctive Australian narratives All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It s All...

01/05/2025

How PFX Delivered 750 VFX Shots in Just Four Months For Anthony Hopkins Thriller Locked

How PFX Delivered 750 VFX Shots in Just Four Months For Anthony Hopkins Thriller...

01/05/2025

Careline's New Wave Makeup Commercial Shot With URSA Cine 12K LF

Careline's New Wave Makeup Commercial Shot With URSA Cine 12K LF Brie Clayton May 1, 2025 0 Comments CAD Studios relies on large format, full fram...

01/05/2025

Putting the DPA 2017 to the voiceover test

Voice actor and producer Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff shares his first impressions of the DPA 2017 Shotgun Microphone, from real-world auditions to side-by-side compa...

01/05/2025

Toto take DiGiCo Quantum 852 and Quantum 338 on world

With my previous console, Freeman recalls, I always had to run a Waves server for EQ and compression, but when I switched to DiGiCo, I found it was such an op...

01/05/2025

Brand new culinary showdown comes to RT Player

Stream all episodes ofLook Who's Hangry from April 29 An RT Player Original in partnership with Heinz...

01/05/2025

Tnaiste Simon Harris, Lottie Ryan and Boyzlife among guests on Friday's Late Late Show

Here is your host, Patrick Kielty! T naiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and T...

01/05/2025

New documentary Bad Nanny tells the story of serial scammer Samantha Cookes

Exclusive interviews and un-seen footage feature in new two-part series...

01/05/2025

May the Cloud Be With You: GeForce NOW Unveils 21 New Games This Month

May brings more than just rainbows and sunshine - it's also time for fresh adventures and epic battles. This GFN Thursday spotlights 20 can't-miss games...

01/05/2025

RT Investigates reveals details of Christian Brothers who managed congregation's assets are now convicted jailed child sexual abusers

RT Investigates reveals details of Christian Brothers who were senior leaders a...

01/05/2025

RT Statement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project

RT Statement The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project is one of the projects that was funded from the proceeds of RT 's land sale in 2017, the init...

01/05/2025

RT is Supporting 28 Arts and Cultural Events all over Ireland this May

Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on This May, RT is delighted to support Bealtaine Festival, Fastnet Film Festival, and Dublin Dance Fest...

01/05/2025

Wandercraft Begins Clinical Trials for Physical AI-Powered Personal Exoskeleton

For Nicolas Simon, advancing the field of robotics is a personal mission that could change his siblings' lives. Two-thirds of Simon's family members us...

30/04/2025

Inside the Archives: Preserving and Saving At-Risk Films Takes a Village

Film elements held at the Deluxe warehouse in March of 2015. Photo by Luis Silva...

30/04/2025

Spotify and EA SPORTS Team Up To Pilot a New Kind of Audio Experience

EA SPORTS FC 25 fans in Australia and Saudi Arabia, get ready to immerse yourselves in the beautiful game like never before. Spotify is excited to announce a n...

30/04/2025

Tucker Wetmore Celebrates His Debut Album Release With an Intimate Performance for Fans

The past year has been nothing short of a whirlwind for Tucker Wetmore. After th...

30/04/2025

Spotify Celebrates Mexico's Booming Podcast Scene With First-Ever Podcast Awards

Mexico's love for podcasts is no longer a trend-it's a lifestyle. With m...

30/04/2025

Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award

Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award 30 April, 2025 Media releases Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Huda Fadlelmawla...

30/04/2025

SBS, NITV and NIDA partner to empower the next generation of screen creatives

SBS, NITV and NIDA partner to empower the next generation of screen creatives 30 April, 2025 Media releases SBS, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and ...

30/04/2025

Why Now is the Perfect Time to Join HPA

By Joyce JC Cataldo The media and entertainment industry is evolving faster than ever. Technology is shifting the way we create, distribute, and experience c...

30/04/2025

On-Demand Imagery: Enhancing Monitoring and Analysis with Advanced Streaming Platforms

An image of Valencia, Spain, in the OneAtlas Living Library...

30/04/2025

WPSD-TV Taps Bitcentral To Modernize Playout

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. WPSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky., has selected Bitcentral's Central Control playout system to upgrade the station's mast...

30/04/2025

Baris Zavaroglu Appointed CEO of Zero Density

AMSTERDAM Zero Density, a global provider of virtual studio productions and on-air graphics, has appointed Baris Zavaroglu as its new CEO. Zavaroglu succeeds Of...

30/04/2025

The Avit Group Elevates Audio-visual Experiences with Mar...

The Avit Group, a forward-thinking audio-visual technology company, is bringing over 50 years of combined experience in delivering audio-visual design and insta...

30/04/2025

NXTGENbps brings portable, sustainable battery solutions...

NXTGENbps will be showcasing its latest sustainable battery power solutions at this year's Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), appearing alongside pa...

30/04/2025

Van Dyke Scores Hit with Hockey Comedy Shoresy Shot on Ze...

Van Dyke skates and operates on Shoresy | photo by Dave Ferguson Toronto-based Cinematographer Brett Van Dyke (Heartland, Jann, Carter) stepped into the rink...

30/04/2025

PlayBox Neo presents Next-Generation Smart Media Solution...

Leading provider of media playout solutions PlayBox Neo will exhibit a vast array of significant upgrades to its range of smart media innovations at CABSAT from...

30/04/2025

QuickLink StudioEdge Transforms Remote Contributions for...

ITV Studios is renowned for its award-winning productions, including the reality TV phenomenon I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Produced by Lifted Ente...

30/04/2025

UK Pavilion exhibitors continue to impact at CABSAT and S...

The UK's presence at this year's CABSAT brings together 20 innovative companies under the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland banner. From advanced infra...

30/04/2025

Lightware Reinforces ESG Commitment with Participation in...

Lightware continues to strengthen its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives by fostering diversity, inclusion, and community engagement within...

30/04/2025

LiveU to Demonstrate LiveU IQ in UK For The First Time at...

LiveU is demonstrating for the first time in the UK, its revolutionary technological breakthrough in IP-video transport, LiveU IQ (LIQ ) and bringing its expand...

30/04/2025

Calrec MPTS 2025 Preview

Stand: A40 Calrec has been putting sound in the picture for more than six decades and is still pushing the boundaries of audio broadcasting with a full range o...

30/04/2025

Buckinghamshire New University opens advanced virtual pro...

Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has opened its new virtual production studio, designed and integrated by CJP Broadcast. The installation equips students wi...

30/04/2025

Collective Newsroom chooses nxtedition for seamless workf...

Independent news producer in India focuses on delivering stories nxtedition has supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, based in New Delhi,...

30/04/2025

FOR-A Showcases Next-Generation Broadcast Solutions at CA...

Connecting the present, building the future FOR-A, a cutting-edge video broadcast technology company backed by more than 50 years experience, will showcase it...

30/04/2025

DAD by NTP Technology Highlights Upcoming Expansion Optio...

DAD by NTP Technology reports a successful NAB Show in Las Vegas where the company focused on upcoming expansion options in development for its Thunder | Core a...

30/04/2025

CVP and Canon unveil 2025 Canon Stories in Motion Young F...

CVP and Canon UK & Ireland are proud to announce the winning projects from the third annual Stories in Motion Young Filmmakers Awards, which took place on the e...

30/04/2025

beIN scores world first with new beIN STREAM using Syname...

Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that beIN MEDIA GROUP ( beIN'), one of the foremost global sports and entertainment broadcasters...

30/04/2025

The Canadian Premier League launches new digital experien...

The Canadian Premier League (CPL) today launched a new-look website and app, offering supporters of Canada's men's domestic professional soccer league a...

30/04/2025

FCC's Carr Says Regulator Wants to Empower Local Broadcasters'

WASHINGTON In a wide-ranging press conference, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr had both good and bad news for broadcasters, stressing that ...