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cross river gorilla critically endangered
Cross River Gorilla critically endangered
Cross River Gorillas are only found on the Nigeria-Cameroon border in the remote and virtually inaccessible Takamanda National Park, itself only created in November 2008. Only a very small number of official Cross River Gorilla sightings have ever been made and almost all information on their behaviour and ecology is a result of observations of local hunters as they have never been habituated to humans.
The area in which they are found lies only 20 kilometres from a logging concern and whilst the logging itself has temporarily been suspended, there are calls from Flora and Fauna to establish a sanctuary in the highlands of Cameroon, one of only 21 officially recognised global biodiversity hotspots. The mountain gorillas were in the same position 30 years ago and through raising public awareness and campaigning, they are now the only great apes whose numbers are on the increase. It will be interesting to see how the Cross River Gorillas story develops given the challenges of operating in the region and the limited funds available, but the fact that Takamanda itself was established and the calls from the conservation community for action to be taken is a step in the right direction.
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