100 Gorillas Remain In Boki, Cross River – Conservationists

Conservationists and concerned experts have confirmed that only 100 gorillas are alive in Cross River State, and critically endangered. 

Disclosing this at a two-day workshop held in Calabar, the experts said the ape family currently restricted to three sites in the state, may soon be depleted due to habitat loss, poaching, unrestricted hunting, bush burning and tree felling.

In a statement issued at the end of the workshop, Mr Andrews Dunn of World Conservative Society with international office in Calabar reaffirmed that, “roughly 100 Cross River gorillas are found in Nigeria, with an additional 200 in Cameroon. 

In Nigeria, Cross River gorillas are restricted to three sites which are Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, the Mbe Mountains, and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park.  

The largest and most important of the three sites is the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, managed by the Nigeria National Park Service.”

He also pointed out that in recent years logging of ebony has become a scourge across the State, as it is adversely affecting the gorilla sites. 

Participants at the workshop had lamented that enclave communities in the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park have continued to expand despite the fact that their presence is detrimental to the long-term future of the park. 

They called on the federal government to revisit plans for voluntary resettlement of the enclaves. Related ‘Only 100 gorillas left in Nigeria’ Stakeholders move to save Cross River gorilla West Africa’s Endangered Lions: A Conversation with Wildlife Conservation Society Nigeria Director Andrew Dunn.

DAILY TRUST