Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is giving $1 million to the Jane Goodall Institute to study and protect gorillas in Africa, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation says wildlife conservation projects in Africa will be a major initiative. The Goodall grant will help researchers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo survey a gorilla subspecies that might be on the verge of extinction. Ocean science will be another priority area in the future. Allen became enchanted with Africa through his travels there. "It's one of the most special places in the world for him," Richmond said. Possibly fewer than 5,000 of the Grauer's gorilla survive today in the eastern part of the Congo, where the primates have been threatened by fighting, poaching and illegal mining. A good census is vital to protecting the apes, said Debby Cox, a primatologist and adviser for the institute. "Once we have that, we'll know where we need to put our biggest effort for conservation," she said. The Allen grant also will fund gorilla sanctuaries, and help equip rangers with GPS phones and tablets so they can record gorilla sightings and illegal mines. "It will make a huge difference," Cox said. "The reality is that without this money, and without gaining the
