Today is International Primate Day! To celebrate, we have partnered with MobileMuster to raise vital funds for primate conservation. 

Primates are a diverse order of highly intelligent, social mammals that includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and humans. There are over 350 species of primate, found primarily in the tropics of Asia, Africa and the Americas. 

Gorillas and chimpanzees are two of our closest relatives, sharing over 98% of their DNA with humans. They are both crucial species in their ecosystems, keeping forests healthy and diverse through seed dispersal. Despite their evolutionary and ecological importance, these great apes are threatened with extinction due to human impact. 

Illegal mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a key driver of deforestation in gorilla and chimpanzee habitat. The DRC is rich in mineral resources including coltan, a core component of modern mobile phones and other electronics. 

There are over 13 million broken mobile phones sitting idly in draws around Australia. The average phone contains over 40 different types of metals, including coltan. 

MobileMuster recycle over 96% of the materials found in each phone, including metals, glass, and plastic, supporting the circular economy and lessening demand for new conflict minerals. 

This September, MobileMuster have committed one dollar to ape conservation for every device recycled in Australia, further protecting wild primates. 

Since 2009, over 59,000 phones have been recycled through Taronga’s program, raising over $100,000 for the Jane Goodall Institute Australia’s work in the DRC. These funds support rangers, environmental educators, and the communities that live alongside great apes, as well as funding community reforestation efforts to combat forest loss. 

You can be a part of this effort! Simply donate your old mobile phone, chargers, and accessories this September to help protect wild gorillas and chimpanzees. 

You can drop them off your old devices during your next Zoo visit, giving you a chance to see both these great apes up close, or at any of the thousands of MobileMuster drop-off points around Australia. 

Click here to learn more about They’re Calling on You and a drop-off location near you.