CorpComms Magazine

A wildlife agency in Uganda has hit upon an innovative scheme to support its efforts to help save endangered mountain gorillas.

The Ugandan Wildlife Authority is offering supporters a chance to become Facebook friends with the gorillas made famous by Diane Fossey. 'Friends' will be able to track their movements across the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is home to about 740 primates.

There are plans to install cameras in the heart of the forest, while the authority will also use GPS and geo-tracking to keep tabs on where each of the gorillas are. 'Their friends can use their computers to see how they move, when they are eating, whether they have new babies, everything,' said Lillian Nsubuga, public relations manager for the authority. 'It is a new way for us to show all that we are doing and to raise awareness and money.' Each 'friend' must pay $1 for the privilege.

The scheme is part of Uganda's contribution to the United Nations' Year of the Gorilla.

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