When James Brooks got a chance to meet the gorillas at the Toronto Zoo, it was definitely the highlight of his day.
He is the founder of a charity that helps protect the rare eastern lowland gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo through support for a group of widows and schoolchildren living nearby The widows run a poultry farm, which generates income and provides food for the local children. As of June, the project had raised $1,961.52 – enough to buy 7,846 eggs from the farm, at $3 a dozen, for the schoolchildren.
“If people have food and they have money, they won’t need to hunt gorillas and they won’t need to move into their habitat,” James explained.