Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — With mineral mining harming wildlife in Africa, the Franklin Park Zoo used their gorilla's birthday as an opportunity to raise awareness Monday.
400-pound Little Joe turned 31 years old Monday.
"Joe is incredibly smart, very handsome and an animal who has inspired lots and lots of people over all the years he's been at the zoo," Zoo New England president and CEO John Linehan told WBZ NewsRadio's Emma Friedman.
The zoo used the celebration to spread awareness for Gorillas on the Line, a program that lets participants recycle their cell phones to reduce mineral mining that hurts animals, including gorillas.
Mining for coltan, a mineral used in small electronics, destroys the natural habitats of gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Zoo New England.
While raising awareness for the program, Little Joe devoured a Jell-O cake for his big day.
WBZ NewsRadio's Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.
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