The Cross River Gorilla — the World’s Rarest Gorilla 18-31

CrossRiverGorilla01Cryptozoology lovers will enjoy this discovery because it is tantalizingly close to the ongoing search for Bigfoot. Conservation efforts are underway to help this critically endangered species and their story may provide clues into how we could really find Bigfoot.

With only 250 or so gorillas still alive the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has ramped up its efforts to protect this critically endangered species. The Cross River gorillas live in remote forested areas of the mountains along the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. (Photo top right courtesy of WCS.)

This gorilla was once thought to be extinct but was “rediscovered” by scientists in the late 1980s.

CrossRiverGorilla02The WCS is working with local officials through a program they created, the Takamanda Mone Landscape Project. In 2008 the Cameroon government created The Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary to protect the Cross River gorillas.  Protection of the species is paramount but that also involves mitigating the biggest threat to their survival – deforestation in the area. In the past, these animals have also been hunted. (Photo left courtesy of Wikipedia.)

The WCS points to a video obtained in 2012 showing a group of Cross River gorillas behaving naturally in front of a video camera trap. Eight gorillas appear in the video. One of them is missing a hand and scientists feel sure it was lost to a snare, a method of catching animals in that area used until the sanctuary was established. Amazingly the gorilla recovered from the trauma and seems to be doing well.

CrossRiverGorilla03According to Dr. Liz Macfie who is the Gorilla Coordinator for WCS’s Species Program, “Cross River gorillas occur in very low densities across their entire range, so the appearance of a possible snare injury is a reminder that continued law enforcement efforts are needed to prevent further injuries to gorillas in the sanctuary.” (Photo right courtesy of the North Carolina Zoo website.)

The sanctuary is patrolled by armed guards and the movements of the gorillas is tracked daily.

The video has elevated the study of these animals. According to the Executive Director for WCS’s Africa Program, Dr. James Deutsch, “Spectacular footage such as this, which we’ve never had before for Cross River gorillas, is absolutely vital to inspire local people, the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon, and the global community to care about and to save this unique subspecies. Continued research of this kind will help fine-tune management plans to protect this rarest of apes.”

Here’s a report on the original video, less than 2 minutes long.

 

Bigfoot

I wonder what all these officials think about the other elusive ape living in the forests and backwoods of North America (and elsewhere).

CrossRiverGorillaBigfoot00Why doesn’t this creature deserve some serious scientific research, done on a grand scale, and supported by so-called defenders of endangered and exotic creatures? (Artwork left by unknown artist.)

 

  • Many native American tribes talk about the Bigfoot/Sasquatch creature with utter certainty of its existence.
  • We have decades of reports from witnesses that include law enforcement personnel, military and ex-military, hunters who have been in the woods for upwards of 30 plus years, staid and respectable people known in their communities.
  • Footprint research which is ongoing thanks to Dr. Jeff Meldrum, a full professor of Anatomy and Anthropology and a Professor at the Department of Anthropology at Idaho State University. Let’s not forget the contributions made to this field of endeavor by Mr. Jimmy Chilcutt.

CrossRiverGorillaBigfootFor these reasons alone, institutions like the WCS should get behind this research . If they don’t, and if we don’t pursue good, solid academic research, someone is going to shoot and kill one of these magnificent creatures and probably try to cash in on it. Remember the Minnesota Iceman debacle. (Artwork right by unknown artist.)

What do you think about all of this?

References

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120508124500.htm

http://www.nczoo.org/subpages.aspx?pageID=12639&region=Africa&category=Forest%20Glade&CID=209&subCatID=239&contentPage=true&selfID=12652&listingID=4472

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