Natalie Portman Treks To Learn About The Endangered Mountain Gorilla

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/natalie_portman.php

Actress Natalie Portman will be trekking deep into Rwanda’s rainforest to learn about the endangered Mountain Gorilla for a special Animal Planet documentary “Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink.” Natalie, who has apparently been involved in environmental causes from a young age , will be accompanied by animal expert Jack Hanna to Congo’s Virunga National Park, which is along with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda one of the last two refuges of this great ape.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation(AWF), the primary threat to mountain gorillas comes from forest clearance and degradation as the region's growing human population struggles to eke out a living, with only about 700 of this most endangered species of gorilla remaining. Other threats include human-induced injuries and illness associated with poaching and war, as well as naturally occurring health problems, says the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project.

Gorillas – who share 98% of their genetic make-up with humans – are one of the most iconic wild animals which are endangered, and in this show Natalie and Jack Hanna, TV personality and former director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, meet with local residents and experts to discuss the plight of the mountain gorilla.

haven't they been through enough? first Paris Hilton, now Natalie Portman? sheesh. one of them is going to have to get a new publicist.