Queen Sofía Honored with 2024 Gorilla Award

The 2024 Gorilla Award, a top international environmental prize, has been given to Her Majesty Queen Sofía. This award recognizes her long-standing dedication to protecting nature, helping animals, and preserving natural sites – principles that have guided her public and social life.

The award ceremony will be held on January 14th at the Poema del Mar aquarium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Queen Sofía will attend, along with leaders from government, science, and environmental groups, both from Spain and abroad.

Wolfgang Kiessling, president of the Loro Parque Group, created the Gorilla Award. Its purpose is to recognize individuals and organizations that have done excellent work in protecting the environment and encouraging sustainable practices. Over the years, the award has highlighted projects that truly help save endangered species and delicate ecosystems.

This year, the jury wanted to highlight Queen Sofía's steady and dedicated work for environmental causes. They also recognized her influence in making people more aware of how important it is to protect nature.

Loro Parque and its Foundation say that giving Queen Sofía the Gorilla Award acknowledges a lifetime spent promoting conservation projects and supporting efforts to care for animals and ecosystems. Over the years, Queen Sofía has backed many projects for wildlife protection, environmental education, and sharing scientific knowledge.

Wolfgang Kiessling said it is "an honor" for the Loro Parque Group to give this award to Queen Sofía, calling her a vital figure in protecting nature. He explained that her involvement has helped strengthen projects that are now crucial for biodiversity worldwide.

The ceremony will take place at Poema del Mar, an aquarium well-known internationally for its marine research, sharing scientific knowledge, and ocean conservation. This location was chosen deliberately because it highlights the aquarium's role as a leading center for protecting marine life and raising awareness about today's environmental issues.

During the event, besides giving out the Gorilla Award, the Loro Parque Group will share an update on its key conservation, research, and environmental education efforts from recent years.

Important people from local, regional, national, and international levels will attend the event, along with representatives from public bodies, scientists, and environmental group leaders. This wide range of attendees aims to show how valuable cooperation is between governments, private groups, and the public in protecting the environment.