🦍Disney Conservation Fund Awards Three New Grants for Gorilla Conservation

BAY LAKE, Fla. – If you’ve been following Everyday Wild, you know the deal: we usually stick to one Central Florida species at a time. Today’s episode breaks that rule in a big way, because we’re talking about gorillas—specifically in celebration of Bakari, a new silverback at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

And before anyone hits me with “Joey… that animal is not from Florida,” correct. Gold star. But conservation isn’t a state-by-state program. It’s an “if we don’t do this, we lose the species” program.

$100,000 in new grants announced ahead of World Gorilla Day

Ahead of World Gorilla Day, and alongside the celebration of Bakari’s arrival at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Disney Conservation Fund announced $100,000 in new grants supporting three organizations doing critical work for gorillas in the wild:

• Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center
• Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
• Gorilla Doctors

The funding supports a range of efforts tied directly to long-term gorilla survival—conservation programs, scientific research, veterinary care, and community-based protection across Africa, including protection of the forests gorillas depend on.

As Claire Martin, Senior Manager, Biodiversity Conservation at The Walt Disney Company, put it: “Protecting gorillas takes collaboration among conservation organizations, researchers, veterinarians, educators, and local communities. We’re proud to support organizations making a meaningful difference for gorillas in the wild while helping connect our guests to the incredible work being done to ensure a future for this species.”

What these three groups do (and why it matters)

These organizations take different approaches, and that’s the point—gorilla conservation isn’t one problem with one fix.

GRACE works with Congolese communities to rehabilitate, rewild, and protect critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas, while also conserving key forest habitat.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund advances conservation in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, backed by decades of scientific research, field protection, and community engagement.

Gorilla Doctors provides life-saving veterinary care to wild mountain and Grauer’s gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—because sometimes conservation looks like a stethoscope and a field kit, not a photo op.

Disney’s support for gorilla conservation now totals more than $4.7 million

The Disney Conservation Fund says this announcement builds on a long-standing commitment to protecting gorillas in the wild, bringing Disney’s total support for gorilla conservation to more than $4.7 million.

And the bigger picture is even larger: for more than 30 years, the Disney Conservation Fund has supported wildlife conservation globally. Since 1995, the fund has directed more than $141 million to nonprofits working with communities to protect wildlife, conserve habitats, and promote environmental resilience.

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Where Bakari fits in

The press release also highlights what Disney’s Animal Kingdom contributes beyond funding: it helps connect guests with animals—and with the conservation stories happening outside the park.

Bakari is a 21-year-old western lowland gorilla who joined the family troop at Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. His arrival creates new opportunities for guests to connect with gorillas and learn about the partnerships and fieldwork supporting the species in the wild.

Dr. Scott Terrell, Vice President, Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment, emphasized that the commitment goes beyond the animals guests see in-park: “For years, Disney experts have partnered with GRACE, sharing their expertise to support gorilla care and advise on conservation efforts that help protect gorillas in the wild while supporting the people and communities working to save them.”

Learn more

To learn more about the Disney Conservation Fund, visit Disney.com/Conservation and follow Disney Conservation and Animals at Disney on Facebook and Instagram.

If you’re watching the video that goes with this article, keep an eye out for Bakari. He’s new, he’s iconic, and he absolutely looks like he could pick me up and relocate me to another zip code if he felt like it.