- Hoarding old mobile phones is pushing gorillas to the brink of extinction, say conservationists. If ‘conflict’ elements – including gold and coltan – can be recovered from old mobile phones, there is less incentive to mine gorilla habitats for the same minerals. http://unisa.edu.au/media-centre/releases/2018/recycle-your-old-mobile-phone-to-save-gorilla-populations/ 16 comments science