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Only found in a few forest patches in Nigeria and Cameroon, this western gorilla subspecies is the world’s rarest great ape. They are rarely seen, let alone photographed, even by remote cameras.
But new photos captured for the first time in years shows a group of With only 300 Cross River gorillas left in the wild, conservationists are celebrating new camera trap photos showing several new infants were born
Captured by camera traps in the Mbe mountains, the photos released by WCS in Nigeria, confirm the Cross River gorillas are actively reproducing.
The international non-governmental organization relies on the photos because the gorillas, which have lighter-colored hair, smaller heads and longer arms than other great apes, are very wary of humans and are rarely seen.
The WCS says it works closely with a community organization, the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains, as well as authorities in Nigeria’s Cross River state to protect the primates.
WCS says that camera traps at WCS sites in Cameroon and Nigeria have captured only a few images including one from 2012 in Cameroon’s Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary. But none of the rare apes have been seen, recorded—or reported killed since then.
This is the first time that multiple infants have been recorded in the same group.