The investor community on Reddit WallStreetBets has the latest investment targets. After riding the GameStop stock, now the Reddit community investor will pursue gorillas hunting. so, it’s no longer GameStop and MAC, or any other stock, bitcoin, or even NFT.
This Reddit Army rallied over the past weekend to use their income to symbolically adopt gorillas through a donation to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Why a gorilla?
There is a bit of a joke on WallStreetBets members, referring to themselves and others as ‘apes’, as part of the group’s internal term. Then, on Saturday, WallStreetBets members adopted a baby gorilla named Urungano from an organization on behalf of GameStop.
Since then, Dian Fossey has received thousands of new adoptions and more than US $ 333,000 in donations. Usually, on a typical weekend, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund only has about 20 people who symbolically adopt their gorillas to support their program of protecting great apes in their natural habitat. But last weekend, they were shocked.
“Using GME’s unconscious advantages to adopting a gorilla,” says one WallStreetBets poster on the site.
“Apes save monkeys,” said another.
WallStreetBets Investors Have Boosted GameStop Prices 1500%
Previously, WallStreetBets investors were able to move GameStop shares to jump more than 1,500% earlier this year. Pressure on hedge funds has shortened stocks and sparked debate about whether retail investor access to Wall Street equals access to large institutional investors.
One WallStreetBets poster said Monday that the surge in donations to help save the gorillas is showing benefits. Namely to make stock trading more accessible to individuals.
Several group members in recent days have also discussed donating a portion of their ‘tendies’ (or income). Proceeds from trading GameStop stock to workers at a game retailer.
“The apes on Reddit will use (the profits) to donate for a good cause. Paying medical bills, helping the needy in their community,” said the user.
“I can’t wait for the wealth to be returned to the little one and make everyone benefit from it,” wrote another.
GameStop Stocks Also Dropped Fast during January
GameStop Stocks fell rapidly to around US $ 350 during the frenzy of January trading. But in recent weeks, the stock has started to rise again and is trading around US $ 200 on Monday, up more than 66% since the start of this month.
Many WallStreetBets members say they still hold the stock, hoping the gains will continue.
Dian Fossey said in her tweet thread that the gorillas are actually a big investment, adding that the funds will be used to track, monitor and study wild gorillas and their habitats.
“Gorillas live in the Congo Basin, the second largest rainforest in the world and are a natural defense against #climatechange,” the group said.
“When we save gorillas, we save the planet. What about #ROI?”
The organization’s CEO, Tara Stoinski, also posted a video to WallStreetBets, thanking Redditor for helping channel the donation.
“Hi WallStreetBets … I just learned that you have adopted a gorilla via our website. I just wanted to thank you very much for this wonderful support,” Stoinski said in the video.
Read now: It’s not Just Retail Investor that Messes Up at GameStop
