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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Mountain Gorillas Take Fight to Survive Online

Ugandan animals' advocates embrace social networking

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(Newser) – Not only can your online buddies be any age and in any location, they don't even have to be your species. Tech-savvy advocates of the endangered mountain gorilla are about to launch an umbrella site, friendagorilla.org, that will feature videos, social networking, and blogs—by park rangers, not gorillas. The first-of-its-kind effort is based at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, home to 370 animals, about half of the planet's remaining population of mountain gorillas.

"It was pretty surreal," actor Jason Biggs, who's helping to get the word out, tells Reuters. "I felt like when I made eye contact with the gorillas, it was like an out-of-body experience. It was mind-blowing."

Bilali bonds with her baby Kakule at the Virunga National Park, near the Ugandan border in eastern Congo. Only about 700 mountain gorillas are left in the world, an estimated 190 of them in Congo.
Bilali bonds with her baby Kakule at the Virunga National Park, near the Ugandan border in eastern Congo. Only about 700 mountain gorillas are left in the world, an estimated 190 of them in Congo.   (AP Photo / Gorilla.cd ,ho)
A mountain gorilla is seen in the Virunga National Park, near the Uganda border in eastern Congo, Nov. 25, 2008.
A mountain gorilla is seen in the Virunga National Park, near the Uganda border in eastern Congo, Nov. 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A silverback mountain gorilla takes a break in the Virunga National Park, near the Uganda border in eastern Congo, Nov. 25, 2008.
A silverback mountain gorilla takes a break in the Virunga National Park, near the Uganda border in eastern Congo, Nov. 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A silverback mountain gorilla in the Virunga National Park, near the Ugandan border in eastern Congo.
A silverback mountain gorilla in the Virunga National Park, near the Ugandan border in eastern Congo.   (AP Photo / Jerome Delay, File)
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8 comments
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dontlikeyou
Sep 28, 09 6:44 PM CDT
I think some of them are on Newser. :-) Reply
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Robert_Dada
Sep 28, 09 7:56 PM CDT
I think this was the Hong Kong Sarah Palin was referring to.
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JoeQ
Sep 28, 09 6:45 PM CDT
I think I found the gorilla my dreams! Reply
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+1
Jayster999
Sep 28, 09 10:11 PM CDT
Cool. But when did they learn to type? Reply
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+1
dontlikeyou
Sep 29, 09 12:23 AM CDT
Do gorillas prefer Macs or PCs? Reply
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+1

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