GameStop was nice and AMC was all well and good, but Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets community has a new interest these days—gorillas.
The individual investors, some of whom made fortunes in the short squeeze of GameStop earlier this year, are showing a philanthropic side, donating heavily to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
Since Saturday, members of the subreddit have contributed over $311,000 to the charity. And the numbers continue to increase.
Woah! @Official_WSB we are at $301k 👏👏 thank you all again for your support! It’s going to make a huge impact! pic.twitter.com/RUrGQ2O56Q
— Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (@SavingGorillas) March 15, 2021
Woah! @Official_WSB we are at $301k 👏👏 thank you all again for your support! It’s going to make a huge impact! pic.twitter.com/RUrGQ2O56Q
🚨WE HAVE NEWS 🚨 It’s safe to say that the #investor community on @reddit is not traditionally who we think of as our supporter base. But they definitely surprised and overwhelmed us over the weekend. A THREAD. @CNN @CNBC @business @WSJ pic.twitter.com/JRB1Gj1Mub
— Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (@SavingGorillas) March 15, 2021
🚨WE HAVE NEWS 🚨 It’s safe to say that the #investor community on @reddit is not traditionally who we think of as our supporter base. But they definitely surprised and overwhelmed us over the weekend. A THREAD. @CNN @CNBC @business @WSJ pic.twitter.com/JRB1Gj1Mub
The r/WallStreetBets subreddit is, of course, still filled with chatter about diamond hands, GME to the moon, “I like the stock” and other memes favorited by the community, but over the past several days, there have been hundreds of posts from people adopting gorillas as well. And those have inspired others to follow suit.
“I am moved by this,” wrote one Redditor. “Honestly, I used to thought that [wallstreetbets] was just a place for degenerate gamblers to show off their gains. Will buy at least 1 [GameStop share] per week till it get back to 400, and give back 20% of the profit to community if gamma squeeze happens.”
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is a not-for-profit organization devoted to studying and protecting the lives of wild gorillas in Rwanda. Rates range from $60 to $150 to adopt a gorilla, so not too much of a financial burden for people who made thousands of dollars during GameStop’s explosive trading. The money is used to “help ensure the gorillas’ wildness and protection for generations to come” the organization says.
People who adopt one of the great apes get to rename the gorilla (the first, naturally, was called GameStop), receive a photo and adoption certificate and receive a video of the gorilla made specifically for the donor.