Protect Gorillas by Joining the Action for Apes Challenge!

March 6, 2019 by Taylor Rhoades

Recycling your old electronics saves species like gorillas, chimpanzees, and okapi!

Registration for the 2019 Action for Apes Challenge is OPEN! Each year, the Houston Zoo runs the Action for Apes Challenge, in which community groups and organizations can sign up and compete against each other to recycle the greatest number of cell phones and small electronics by the end of April. These electronic devices contain a material called tantalum that is mined in areas where gorillas live – if we reuse and recycle these items, we can decrease the amount of mining that takes place in these vital habitats. In 2018 we had an estimated 8,000 participants across the greater Houston area recycling electronics to save wildlife!

The Zoo Admissions team is hoping to take the lead in this year’s staff electronics recycling challenge!

Thanks to participation in this challenge and year-round electronics recycling on Zoo grounds, Houstonians have helped the Zoo to recycle over 12,000 handheld electronics to date, saving species like gorillas, chimpanzees and okapi! This year, Zoo staff are getting in on the wildlife-saving action as well through their own electronics recycling challenge led by our Ranger team. The Rangers and seven additional departments from across the Zoo have been hard at work collecting old phones, tablets, and MP3 players from family and friends to see which department can collect the most electronics for recycling by March 31st. The Ranger team alone is hoping to collect a minimum of 50 devices!

You can recycle your old handheld electronics at the Zoo year-round using the drop box outside of Guest Services!

By joining this year’s challenge you aren’t just contributing to a local effort to save species – you’re contributing to an effort that has gone world-wide! The Association of Zoos and Aquariums celebrated World Gorilla Day last year by launching a global, mobile phone recycling challenge, Gorillas on the Line…Answer the Call, based on the Houston Zoo’s very own Action for Apes Challenge. This challenge will reach zoos and aquariums across the nation and the world to engage thousands of students, schools, community organizations and businesses to answer this important call: to help save gorillas in the wild.

Join today to see what impact your team can make!