Endangered mountain gorillas are the focus of a new special on Animal Planet premiering at 9 PM EST, Friday, October 26. "Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink" is hosted by Oscar-nominated actress Natalie Portman and features animal expert Jack Hanna. A segment of the program focuses on Busch Gardens’ own Bolingo, a 23-month-old Western lowland gorilla that was born at the park.

For the program, Portman and Hanna traveled to Rwanda to learn more about these endangered animals. The gorilla population has been on the decline for decades due to habitat loss, disease, poaching and war. With an estimated 700 gorillas left in the wild, the documentary shows how the government and people of Rwanda are fighting to keep this population from diminishing even further.

The plight of gorillas is a concern of The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. The fund is a registered non-profit foundation whose 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. 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.

This August, The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund made a $25,000 donation in emergency support to protect endangered mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following the death of four gorillas in Virunga National Park.

In addition to the emergency 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.