Year of the Gorilla 2009 Fund-Raiser Skates-Off at Natural History Museum
Ice Rink in London on Thursday, 15th January


LONDON/BONN/NAIROBI, 7 January 2009 --Nemo the Disney clownfish has done it
and so have Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty— now it is time for “Gorillas on
Ice!”

As part of the 2009 International Year of the Gorilla (YoG), co-ordinated
by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and to herald the
Charles Darwin bicentenary celebrations next month, a troupe of skaters
dressed as primates are to take to the rink at The Natural History Museum
in London.

The event, which is free to spectators, is happening on 15 January from 10
a.m. to noon with the Museum’s Balcony overlooking the rink available for
press photographers to capture the unique occasion.

The event aims to raise awareness and funds for human-kind’s closest and
most threatened relatives, with young skaters from London ice rinks
volunteering to take part on behalf of our close cousins, the gorillas.

Funds raised throughout the YoG will support a range of innovative projects
in Africa agreed under a new Gorilla Agreement and its recently adopted
action plan.

Justin Wateridge, Managing Director of luxury travel company Abercrombie &
Kent, which is supporting the YoG, said: “The world’s gorillas are very
much skating on thin ice as a result of habitat destruction, conflict and
poaching. By the end of the Year we hope this UN-led international
campaign will have made their future more secure and the prospects for
their long-term survival that little bit brighter. We are pleased to
support it.”

The YoG (www.yog2009.org), whose patron is the renowned primatologist Jane
Goodall, was formally launched by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of
Monaco at an international wildlife conference in Rome a few weeks ago.

The skate-off in London marks the first awareness-building and fund-raising
event of the new 12 month-long campaign and launches an appeal to the
corporate sector to get involved and sponsor gorilla projects in the field
in the 10 African countries which are their range States.

Several Governments have pledged funding for the Year including Germany and
Monaco as well as companies including the tourism firm Abercrombie & Kent.

Robert Hepworth, Executive Secretary of the UN Environment
Programme-Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP-CMS), which is coordinating
the Year, said: “In countries such as Rwanda and Uganda, gorillas are at
the centre of a tourism industry that is generating essential income and
livelihoods for thousands upon thousands of poor and marginalized people.

“So it is time to unpack those blades and make a sharp point for the
gorilla and its continued survival and for the people of Africa. In doing
so, the event will not only contribute to great ape conversation but the
conservation of countless other species which share and co-exist in gorilla
habitats and which also contribute to human well-being”, he added.

Ian Redmond OBE, YoG Ambassador, added: “Gorillas may be on thin ice
metaphorically, but the conservation of gorillas can help slow global
warming that really is thinning polar ice and glaciers worldwide. Why?
Because gorillas are keystone species in the Congo Basin forests which
along with those of the Amazon and South-East Asia play a vital role in
maintaining a healthy planet and removing greenhouse gases.”

“In turn, the health of these forests depends on primates such as the
gorilla who disperse seeds for the next generation of trees. This is why
the Year of the Gorilla is so timely, because it underlines yet another
reason why forests must be included in the new UN climate deal scheduled
for agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark in late 2009”, he added.

Notes to Editors

“Gorillas on Thin Ice” will take place at the 900-square-metre ice rink in
the gardens of The Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London.

Ian Redmond, YOG Ambassador, and Justin Wateridge of A&K, will be among
those available for interview.

More information about the event and to arrange interviews or photography
please contact Sarah Nuttall, UK–Based UNEP-CMS Fund Raiser, on Tel:
+44-1403-733-878 or +44-790-20-11-734 or e-mail:
sarahnuttall60@btinternet.com

The Museum has generously donated the time from 10 a.m. to noon for the
event on 15 January and the volunteer skaters taking part are being allowed
to do so for free.

Gorilla outfits are being supplied by wildlife groups and non-governmental
organizations linked with primate conservation.

The Year of the Gorilla (YoG) is a joint initiative of the UNEP-CMS, the
UNEP/UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Great Ape
Survival Partnership (GRASP) and the