Candid GorillaCam
A camera trap in Cameroon’s Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary gives us a brief glimpse into the lives of Cross River gorillas the rarest of apes and the most reclusive. Here they are, taking a walk in the woods along a forest path.
At one point, a male silverback comes forward, looks around, and then races up to and past the camera with a full chest-beating display.
The camera had been placed along the path by members of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is looking to save this highly endangered species (250 of them remaining) from extinction.
About halfway through the video, you can see one of the animals with a missing hand, probably as a result of having been caught in, and freed himself from, a poacher’s snare.
The government of Cameroon established the Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary in 2008 to protect Cross River gorillas.
A team of local staff from eight villages near the protected area takes part in the conservation effort. Kagwene is the only site where Cross River gorilla movements are monitored on a daily basis.
For more information, go here.