On the 15^th and 16^th June 2024, 52 members and friends of the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe gathered to celebrate our 40^th anniversary at the Darwineum of the Rostock Zoo.

During the welcome event on Saturday, the Zoo director, Antje Angeli, congratulated us on the anniversary of our organization and presented us with a cheque for 3,500 euros as a token of appreciation for our work. The Rostock Zoo has consistently supported our work for many years. In return, we congratulated the Zoo on its 125^th anniversary and presented gifts of gorilla wine to the staff and symbolic apples to feed the animals.

Following the usual format, we had invited two external speakers to deliver the first addresses: Johannes Refisch, coordinator of the United Nations GRASP programme, talked via Zoom from Nairobi concerning 'The current status of gorillas and how we need to alter our thinking in the future'. This was followed by Fabian Leendertz, founding director of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health, whose presentation 'Infectious diseases of wild apes and One Health as an approachable solution' clearly defined the dangers of zoonotic diseases and the current status of research.

The following coffee break was very special: Ines Schmeisser and Kerstin Genilke had baked and lovingly decorated four different cakes and two types of muffins to congratulate us on our anniversary. The cakes were delicious! During the break, a slide show about the organization’s history and pictures sent in to illustrate 'My Mountain Gorilla Moment' were presented.

After the break, the second group of presentations started with a brief report of the board on the activities of 2023 and 2024. Founding member Manfred Hartwig led the trip down memory lane, providing many anecdotes to explain how the organization began. Karl-Heinz Kohnen and Angela Meder talked about the support of the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe for the Maiko National Park from 1992 to the present day, as an example of how we work. One of our most essential employees was also present: Claude Sikubwabo, who began working for us in Maiko in 1992. Claude introduced himself and his many years of work for the organization in a video translated by Anne-Céline Granjon. To finish, Uwe Kribus showed photos of his visits to the mountain and the western lowland gorillas. The event ended with the traditional dinner in the Klock 8 restaurant.

On Sunday morning, Kerstin Genilke and Daniela Rogge introduced us to the apes in the Darwineum, telling us much about the animals, how they are kept and the work the people are doing there.

We thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and greatly appreciated the participants' many congratulations and positive responses. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this anniversary meeting and all those who have made the association’s work possible over the last 40 years, whether through their membership, cooperation or donations.

The Executive Board of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe

Web PDF of the slide show that was presented during the coffee break