Help is only a call away.
Nine-year-old Sanctuary Lakes resident Ella Rule has been on a mission to collect disused mobile phones in support of Werribee Open Range Zoo’s They’re Calling on You campaign.
The campaign raises funds for gorilla conservation and to reduce the impact of coltan mining on the gorillas’ habitats in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Illegal mining of coltan, a mineral used in mobile phones, is one of the biggest threats to gorillas in the wild.
Ella started collecting old mobile phones after visiting Werribee Zoo in February.
“The gorilla keeper talked to me about the campaign and inspired me to start collecting mobile phones,” she said. “[The keeper] said that gorillas were becoming extinct because they were losing their habitat. I really have a love for gorillas so it really struck me to hear that.”
Ella called for donations at her school assembly, set up a Facebook page and even asked Michel’s Patisserie in Sanctuary Lakes to put out a collection box.
Last week, she donated 38 old mobile phones to the zoo, promising to continue her efforts.
Zookeeper Kathy Scanlon said the team was thrilled with the donation. “With this donation, Ella’s not just giving these phones a second life; she’s also raising vital funds for the Gorilla Doctors, an international team of veterinarians working to save gorillas in Africa.”
To help Ella, go to bit.ly/1Uzw2A8
