Glad we could clear all that up :-)About the zoos and better enclosures for gorillas, my firm belief is that any money the zoo gets will come across to them (and to others) as being support for their cause. I would not be able to bring myself to do this. I would personally (if I ever got off my lazy butt) devote my time and money to having the apes rehabilitated into the wild in Africa. I believe no other solution is adequate. I respect your desire to make their stay less painful, and I think it is wonderful that you devote your time to them, but to give money to the zoo would be a greater force against change than for change. If they get their money, more gorillas (if there are any left alive by then) will be taken to zoos. This is (in my books) infinitely worse than their becoming extinct as a species(which is undesireable, obviously), as it means forced martyrdom, which is an ugly thought.
About Birute, as I said, I read "The Follow" by Linda Spalding, which has a somewhat less than glorious depiction of her character. I (onviously) do not know much about her or her cause, but I strongly recommend this book. Despite it being poorly written, it poses some challenging questions about Birute's efforts in Borneo. You might more fully appreciate (or despise) it, since this is very close to your heart.
Cheers
Kevin
None.
