Kathleen's Awesome Adventure

Today I went to the Zoo.  Which is, in fact, awesome, but the really awesome thing happened while I was at the zoo.

The girls are at Zoo Camp this week and usually while they are at camp I go into the zoo for an hour or two to take pictures and draw and paint before the loud, crazy people show up (loud crazy people is probably a post for a different time).

Ostensibly I was there to sketch the giraffes.  I have a weakness for their long necks and knobby knees. However, today the baby was in a side area being looked at by the keepers (6 month check up?) and looked at hungrily by the lions who were probably thinking that lunch was going to be a lot more interesting than they imagined.

I took pictures of them all for future references, but there wasn't a great spot to settle in for some drawing.  So, instead I wandered over to the African Rain forest area and settled into a bench by the Mountain Gorilla enclosure.

The bachelor troupe was in the enclosure (a group of three young males) and they were lounging around and basically being gorillas.  I was pretty close to the glass, about 3 or feet away.  I started sketching the fellow closest to me.  He noticed me watching him and came over to the side of the glass.

I've seen this guy before.  He's mischievous, and curious.  I know it's him by his really flat, pushed up nose.  While I was drawing he casually judged the distance, then hurled himself at the glass, making a huge banging sound.  Meant to startle me and give him a big chuckle. 

But like I said, I've seen him lots before, and kind of expected it.  So I just kept drawing.  Then he came over, and sat directly in front of me and looked me right in the eye.

It was awesome(ly frightening).  I kept drawing all the while thinking that I was very glad that we weren't in the rain forest of Africa, and there was a nice thick sheet of glass between us.

The drawing went really well considering that my model was 3 feet away and staring at me.

When I finished I looked at him, and he kept looking at me, and my paper.  Finally I figured out what he wanted. I flipped the sheet over and showed him his portrait.  He looked at it, then looked at me.  I looked at it, and looked at him.  Then we looked at each other for a moment and he just wandered off.

It was amazing.

Mountain Gorillas are under a lot of pressure in their native environment. 

And it's our fault. 

You see our cell phones contain a rare mineral called coltan that is mined almost exclusively in the mountains of Rwanda and Uganda where the gorillas live.  The gorillas aren't coming out on the good end of this mining, encounters with miners, and with habitat loss.

Please, if you are thinking of getting a new cell phone make an effort to recycle your old one.  Recycling is easy, and it can save the lives of these amazing animals.  If you are upgrading your phone, please ask your cell phone provider if they participate in the recycling program before you sign the contract.

To find a recycling centre near you in Canada please visit RecycleMyCell.ca