Thanks to modern technology, the world’s rarest gorilla was caught on film in central Africa for all to see.
Video footage was recently released to the public showing a group of eight Cross River gorillas making their way through their natural environment in a Cameroon forest. It was captured by Wildlife Conservation Society cameras that were set up secretly by conservationists at the Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary.
The video, which runs almost two-minutes long, shows one adult gorilla sitting at the base of a tree while others sit in surrounding forest. At one point, a gorilla runs past the camera, beating his chest while another is caught on film walking across the forest without a hand, possibly from a snare set up by poachers or locals looking to catch other animals.
“The video represents the best images to date of Cross River gorillas, normally shy animals that flee at the slightest hint of human presence,” Christopher Jameson, director of WCS’s Takamanda Mone Landscape Project, said in a press release.
“The footage provides us with our first tantalizing glimpses of Cross River gorillas behaving normally in their environment,” he said. “A person can study these animals for years and never even catch a glimpse of the gorillas, much less see anything like this.”
The subspecies of gorilla is considered the world’s rarest. According to WCS, with only fewer than 250 remaining in the wild today, these creatures are considered “Critically Endangered,” threatened by both habitat destruction and hunting.
The amazing footage was later posted to the Internet.
“For the first time ever, conservationists have captured video footage of Cross River gorillas in their natural environment, thanks to a camera trap secreted in a forest in Cameroon. The elusive gorillas are some of the most elusive animals on Earth,” reads the video’s description.
Check it out.
