Peter Jackson Promotes Gorilla Plight With King Kong DVD Release  1/9/06

King Kong director Peter Jackson has added a documentary film about the plight of gorillas to the blockbuster's forthcoming DVD release, in a bid to prevent the extinction of the endangered species.

The film-maker is teaming up with the International Gorilla Conservation Program for the environmental campaign, after the original 1933 Kong movie prompted a huge upsurge in gorilla hunting.

The DVD release of the remake - due to hit stores later this year (06) - is hoped to increase public awareness of the species, which is predicted to be extinct within 30 years.

Charity premieres of King Kong have also raised more than $100,000 for the conservation project.

Jackson says, "Gorillas are truly amazing animals - without them there wouldn't be entertainment like King Kong.

"It's really vital that we take this opportunity to realise how similar they are to us, and how endangered they are."

Actor Andy Serkis - who plays Kong in Jackson's 2005 remake - has also joined the gorillas' plight by becoming a trustee of the Diana Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Serkis says, "The original King Kong film did a lot of damage to the reputation of gorillas and there was a big upsurge in gorilla hunting after that film.

"The tragedy of Kong is that the story is not too far from the truth, in that he is the last of his kind."