Wednesday: Gorilla Gossip

"Move over People magazine," says Nancy Averett in the May/June issue of Audubon. "There's another source for celebrity gossip--one that's ripe with love triangles, sex, breakups, adorable babies, and aging stars. The Ugandan Wildlife Authority's Friend-A-Gorilla program affords the public the opportunity to follow the antics of dozens of mountain gorillas through Twitter feeds, Facebook updates, live video, and geo-tracking.Since the program began in 2009, 15,500 gorilla lovers have paid one dollar to friend a gorilla of their choosing (the donations fund conservation efforts, from thwarting poachers to tracking the gorillas on a daily basis). They receive exclusive updates on the gossipy minutiae of gorilla life. 'You get to hear about all the drama in the forest,' says Jossy Muhangi, spokesman for the program. 'Who's pregnant, who won the latest wrestling matches, who's grooming whom.' The gorillas' antics, he adds, aren't so different from ours. Indeed, Facebook updates feature the young male Faraha getting teased when he fails to make any noise while thumping his chest and the silverback Makara romancing the petite young Nyabukye."