ST. LOUIS - The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund announced today $25,000 in emergency support to protect endangered mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In late July, four endangered mountain gorillas were found shot to death in Virunga National Park on the eastern border of the DRC, bringing the number of human-caused mountain gorilla deaths to seven this year. It is estimated that only 380 gorillas live in the Virunga Massif which includes Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park Mikeno sector in the DRC.

"Crisis situations - whether natural or human-caused - don't neatly occur at the peak of our grant-making cycle," said Virginia Busch, president of the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. "With our Animal Crisis Response grants, however, the Fund is able to take immediate action to help wildlife in need. Combined with the parks' hands-on animal care and veterinary expertise, this much-needed financial support aims to stem the immediate threat while also preventing future wildlife crises."

In addition to today’s grant, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports five gorilla-related projects in Africa, most notably the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) in Rwanda and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme’s community rainwater harvesting project. The MGVP is currently caring for four orphaned mountain gorillas with the goal of re-habituating them to wild family groups, which has never before been completed successfully. The rainwater harvesting project is helping provide safe drinking water for Ugandan communities that neighbor Mgahinga National Park, reducing traffic through critical gorilla habitat.

The donation will allow the International Gorilla Conservation Programme to increase ranger patrols in the Mikeno sector of Virunga National Park to help ensure effective surveillance and protection of the gorillas. Funds will also be used to facilitate community meetings intended to improve working relations between the local residents and park management and to support their shared goal of conserving the forest and the mountain gorillas. In response to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund grant, the Newman Foundation is providing matching funds - an additional $25,000 - in support of the gorillas. In addition, famed wildlife advocate and zoologist Jack Hanna is working closely with the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s accredited zoos across the country, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, to rally support for the orphaned gorillas being cared for by the MGVP.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund annually holds $100,000 in reserve for Animal Crisis Response grants. The purpose of these special grants is to provide financial support to situations where immediate threats to wildlife can be stemmed. This is the first emergency grant the Fund has made since its inception in 2003.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is a registered non-profit foundation. Its mission is to work with purpose and passion on behalf of wildlife and habitats worldwide, encouraging sustainable solutions through support of species research, animal rescue and rehabilitation and conservation education. In 2007, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund made grants of more than $1.3 million to 112 organizations around the world, a record one-year total for the Fund.

Since 2003, the Fund has committed more than $3.5 million to organizations that share its mission to help animals in need, encourage environmental education and to conserve wildlife and wild places. Donations to the Fund come from Busch Entertainment Corporation, its parks, Anheuser-Busch and the company’s family of wholesalers, park visitors and the general public. Information and online donations can be made at www.swbg-conservationfund.org.

Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., operates nine U.S. theme parks: SeaWorld parks in Orlando, Fla., San Diego, Calif. and San Antonio, Texas; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa.; Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, is under construction in Orlando and is scheduled to open next spring. Information on the parks is available online at www.4adventure.com.

For more information, contact Leigh Andrus at (407)370-1244
www.swbg-conservationfund.org