By BANNERNEWS Reporter
A rare camera trap image from the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary has provided fresh evidence of the continued survival of the critically endangered Cross River gorilla, renewing calls for stronger protection of one of Africa’s rarest great apes.
The Cross River gorilla, the most endangered of the four gorilla subspecies, is classified as Critically Endangered, with fewer than 300 individuals believed to remain in the wild. The species is found only within a limited mountainous forest region spanning parts of Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon.
Conservation experts say sightings of the elusive primate are extremely rare, as the animals avoid human contact and live in remote forest terrain. Most scientific confirmation of their presence comes not from direct observation, but from indirect evidence such as nesting sites and motion-triggered camera trap images.
The latest photograph, taken deep within the sanctuary’s dense rainforest, underscores the ecological importance of protected forest corridors in Cross River State, which remains the species’ last stronghold in the country.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), one of the leading conservation groups working in the region, has continued to support protection efforts across three critical sites in the state. These include Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mbe Mountains, and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park.
According to conservationists, the species faces persistent threats from habitat destruction, forest fragmentation, and occasional hunting, all of which have contributed to its drastic population decline over the decades.
Environmental advocates say the latest camera trap evidence offers both hope and urgency—hope that conservation efforts are yielding results, and urgency for government authorities, host communities, and international partners to intensify measures to preserve the remaining habitat.
They stress that protecting the Cross River gorilla not only safeguards a unique species but also preserves the biodiversity and ecological balance of one of West Africa’s most important rainforest ecosystems.
Caption: Camera trap image of a critically endangered Cross River gorilla recorded in Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Cross River State. Photo credit: Wildlife Conservation Society.
