Wednesday, Sept. 26 is World Gorilla Day, and gorilla fans can make a difference for gorillas in the wild by taking small electronics to be recycled in Primate World at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
“Many of the lowland forests and swamps that Western lowland gorillas call home are also sources of deposits of coltan, a mineral used in manufacturing cell phones and other electronics,” Nicole Chaney, CMZoo conservation manager, says. “Due to the ever-increasing demand for cell phones across the world, the destruction of this critically endangered species’ habitat for mining purposes has unfortunately increased.”
The good news is that coltan is recyclable. To reduce the need to mine for coltan in these vital gorilla habitats, CMZoo can collect and send old cell phones to be recycled at a specialty recycler.
Every single day, members and guests can place used devices in the recycling box near the indoor gorilla viewing area. CMZoo sends those devices to ECO-CELL, an organization that recycles phones, tablets, smart watches, Bluetooth devices, GPS devices, e-readers, digital cameras, handheld gaming systems and their accessories.
If guests are unable to visit, they can drop electronics off at the Zoo’s admissions plaza, and the Guest Experience team will bring them to be recycled.
“We have been so impressed with our guests this year, especially,” Nicole says. “Last year, guests recycled 221 small electronic devices at CMZoo, and this year, we have already sent 250 to be recycled – and we have more to send.”
Every visit to CMZoo is conservation in action, because every visit and every membership contributes to the Zoo’s Quarters for Conservation program, which has raised nearly $6 million for conservation efforts around the world. Visiting Asha, Goma, Kwisha and the baby gorilla in Primate World helps people form connections with gorillas, and by taking advantage of this free recycling service, guests can make a direct impact to help save wild gorilla habitats.