Comments on: This Just In: Baby Gorilla Rescue

By: Katrina

Katrina — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:01:43 +0000

Gotta give you a counter argument there, platedlizard, with all due respect. Some of the people involved in this are greedy out-of-towners who can’t stop beating down the environment because They FEEL poor. Somebody fuels this. Locals are being told that bush meat is dangerous and illegal, yes, but the money comes from out of town sources, too. Those exploiters are the people I vilify, not the poor souls who are just trying to survive. But I bet you knew that. Still loveya, platedlizard, just sayin’.

By: platedlizard

platedlizard — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:07:45 +0000

The reason why people do this is because they are very poor, and a baby gorilla is worth a lot of money on the black market. They kill the mother (and probably the rest of the family) for the bush meat trade, which is a delicacy over there as well. Its very sad, but the people who do this aren’t evil, just very poor with little other options for earning enough money to send their kids to school to have a better life. This is why conservation efforts in in that region have to be not just about protecting wildlife, it has to be about improving people’s lives and educating them about their wildlife so they’ll want to protect them rather then keep them as pets or eat them. Simply labeling the people who do this as evil will not help the gorillas and other wildlife who fall victim to the bushmeat trade.

Congo is very poor and has undergone many, many years of civil war and terrible conflict. I won’t go into the details, you can find out by googling, but what has happened there to the people is truly terrible. I’m glad that they are now able to devote resources to protecting their wildlife, hopefully they are also devoting a lot of resources to improving their people’s lives so that they will not be driven to do this sort of thing.

By: Martha in Washington

Martha in Washington — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:40:47 +0000

“Why do we treat animals like animals?”-Dr. Doolittle

I haven’t the courage to watch the video yet either. I’m so glad to hear she is doing well. And yeah, sickness to my stomach is always my first reaction.

By: Eve

Eve — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:56:17 +0000

Well, that video made me cry. I’m so glad they caught the bastard. It seemed like the undercover guy was getting a bit choked up there as well.

By: kelly

kelly — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:35:29 +0000

who is buying gorillas?
why?

terrible. horrible.

poor little girl.

By: Noelle (the First)

Noelle (the First) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:39:13 +0000

This is a classic example of good vs evil. The poachers are evil, there is just no other word that conveys the tragedy of what they do. The rescuers represent the forces of good, snatching the innocent from evil’s foul grasp. Kudos to the rescuers and best wishes to the little lady gorilla.

I so often feel helpless at these times, like most of us, but I remember that I am only one person and can only do what I can. I give my support to shelters and rescue centers that help the abused animals in our mists. All of my dogs have been mutts obtained from people who couldn’t keep the puppies. I do my best to help the strays that inhabit my back yard. So, as much as these stories sadden me, at least I can say I do what I can.

Always remember the only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men/women to do nothing!

By: kathie

kathie — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:00:41 +0000

lucky girl! I hope she has a beautiful life

By: Kristabelle

Kristabelle — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:35:29 +0000

Skippymom and brwngirl – these types of things do give me physical pain, and I often feel that I hate people! (well, MOST people – CO lovers and posters, excluded). I can not FATHOM how people can hurt other creatures, human or animal. If you believe in karma, though, at least you can feel safe in the knowledge that their actions will come back to bite them in the ass, through no intercession of ours.
My husband and I can not watch the animal rescue shows on tv and he often remarks that he could never do that job, mostly because he’d be in jail for maiming the perpetrators.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:32:51 +0000

I can’t bring myself to watch the video, but what a wonderful picture of a beautiful baby. How can anyone look into those eyes and deny that animals have emotions?

By: Subhangi

Subhangi — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:35:13 +0000

Look at those beautiful, expressive eyes! Hurting animals is bad enough, but it’s even creepier when they look so much like people

Glad she’s ok. Go, gorilla girl!