Sonya Kahlenberg is passionate about the great apes that roam the hills of
central Africa.And now the Wood County native is working with an organization to help gorillas and humans
live in harmony.Kahlenberg spoke recently at a meeting of the Bowling Green Rotary Club.A 1995 Eastwood
graduate, Kahlenberg studied at Ohio Wesleyan and Harvard University and is trained as an ape biologist.She
spent 12 years studying ape behavior in the field, largely chimpanzees in Uganda, where she witnessed what
is considered the first evidence in non-human animals of "a primitive use of doll-play.""I’ve
really, really enjoyed my time as a field scientist," she said, but noted that her biggest passion is
in conservation – for the past two years, for instance, she was the director of an anti-share patrol in one
of Uganda’s national parks.Now, however, Kahlenberg is the Executive Director for GRACE – the Gorilla
Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the
largest countries in Africa.The situation for eastern lowland gorillas in that area is dire – only about
2,000 of the great apes remain, the result of human conflict in Rwanda spilling over into the DRC’s
borders.Since the 1990s, the apes have lost 50 percent of their habitat and 75 percent of their population
through a combination of hunting and other problems.GRACE’s mission is to serve as a sort of rescue and
rehabilitation center for orphaned gorillas – the older apes are frequently killed for meat, and their young
are then captured and sold as pets. Both actions are illegal in the DRC.The group currently has 14 such
gorillas, and they are still building their facilities in the eastern portion of the DRC."Our hope is
not to have any more. We want to put ourselves out of business," said Kahlenberg.The United Nations is
collaborating on the project. Among the efforts being undertaken is the creation of a special tract of
forest for the apes at GRACE so that they can be slowly habitualized into their natural environment.However,
the GRACE project is not simply reacting to the issue of the orphaned gorillas – it seeks to be proactive by
helping the economy of the area so that reliance on killing and selling gorillas will be made
obsolete."The economy there’s not much" due to the war, she said.GRACE’s Conservation Education
Program is currently in is pilot phase, but has already reached more than 16,200 students in 63 schools
across the country.They’ve even produced a radio drama about the importance of proper hygiene."That
helps both the communities and the gorillas, because the gorillas are very susceptible to human
diseases."Food security – in other words, ensuring that communities will know where their next meal is
coming from – is also a priority, with a program to assist in the raising of rabbits, chickens, and even
guinea pigs for food. Such efforts would help reduce the reliance on hunting gorillas.To further help the
economy, the Perrysburg Quilting Eagles are helping GRACE by sewing 50 stuffed gorillas, using African
fabric, that widowed women in the DRC can use to help earn an income. The pattern was created by the Walt
Disney Corporation, which is also partnering with GRACE. The group hopes to launch a program whereby these
woman can make the stuffed toys by themselves and create a steady income.Currently the program is in need of
a community education center where they can have a library and hold programs."We’re sort of just at the
beginning," said Kahlenberg.For more information, visit GRACE’s website at http://gracegorillas.org.