By ALESHA CAPONE
YOUNGSTERS from a Brooklyn school are putting out a call to help save endangered gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Pupils from the Annunciation School will be asking their family and friends to donate old and unused mobile phones at a collection box in the school’s office.
Among the students taking part in the program are nine-year-old Chiara, 10-year-old Victoria and 11 year-old-Nicholas, along with school captains Rachel and Mac.
“We went on an excursion to Melbourne Zoo and that’s when we learned the gorillas might be endangered,” Rachel said.
Mac said the zoo keepers told the children how a material called coltan is located underground where Congans mine to make new mobile phones.
According to Greenpeace Africa, the areas where coltan is mined – such as the Kahuzi Biega National Park – are home to more than 200 animal species including the endangered eastern lowland gorilla.
The demand for coltan mining has led to their forests being destroyed and made them more vulnerable to poachers.
“Because they need to mine the coltan under where the gorillas live, to make new mobiles, if we recycle the old ones they won’t need to,” Mac said.
“We made it our term project because if we don’t help the gorillas they could become extinct,” Rachel said.
Nicholas said he liked the gorillas at the zoo and it would be a pity if they became extinct.
“We are hoping to collect as many mobiles as we can,” Chiara said.
The pupils will deliver the final collection of mobile phones to Melbourne Zoo.
