By Reagan Alexander
It’s not often that you can use the phrase, “Let’s talk about the 500-pound gorilla in the room,” and actually mean it.
Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi hosted “Gorillapalooza” on Saturday, an event that showcased performances by dancers and drummers and featured virtual reality “trekking” with mountain gorillas, all for a good cause.
The event held at the Hollywood Palladium initiated the fundraising arm of the The Ellen Fund, which supports global conservation efforts for endangered species and works toward the completion of The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.
“I just want people to care,” de Rossi, 46, tells PEOPLE. “I guess that is all we want, for people to care, and realize what it means for humanity to have these magnificent creatures alive and well.”
“I tried to transform The Hollywood Palladium into an African jungle,” de Rossi says of the event curated by herself and DeGeneres. “I really wanted it to feel like the gorillas were there, because I really need people in their comfortable environments in Los Angeles to be transported to Rwanda and to really feel empathy and have a better understanding of what it is like to be surrounded by these extraordinary creatures.”