Contemporary politics,local and international current affairs, science, music and extracts from the Queensland Newspaper "THE WORKER" documenting the proud history of the Labour Movement.
MAHATMA GANDHI ~ Truth never damages a cause that is just.
Thursday, 9 July 2020
Rare Cross River gorillas carrying babies captured on camera in Nigeria's Mbe Mountains.
The photos are proof the subspecies, once feared to be extinct, is reproducing.(WCS Nigeria via AP)
Conservationists have captured on camera for the first time a group of rare gorillas, with multiple babies in tow, in Nigeria's Mbe Mountains.
Key points:
At one time it was thought only 300 Cross River gorillas remained
The subspecies are notoriously difficult to capture together on camera and no images had captured multiple infants
The photos were taken in a community forest without any formal protection status
It is proof the Cross River gorilla subspecies, which was once feared to be extinct, is reproducing amid protection efforts.
Only about 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolated mountainous region across Nigeria and Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The group captured camera trap images in May and colour images were recovered last month.
It is exciting news for primatologist John Oates, who helped to establish conservation efforts for the gorillas more than two decades ago,
"It was great to see … evidence that these gorillas in these mountains are reproducing successfully because there have been so few images in the past," Professor Oats said.
"We know very little about what is going on with reproduction with this subspecies, so to see many young animals is a positive sign."
Experts do not know how many of the gorillas remain in the mountain cluster and have been trying to track the subspecies for some time.
About 50 cameras were set up in 2012 and multiple images have been captured in Nigeria's Mbe Mountains Community Forest, the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and at Cameroon's Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary.
Colour images of a group of gorillas with babies were captured in June.(WCS Nigeria via AP)
But Cross River gorillas are notoriously difficult to capture together on camera and no images had captured multiple infants.
An alliance of nine local communities, the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains, has been working with the WCS since the mid-1990s to help protect the Cross River gorillas.
Since that time, there have been no recorded deaths of the gorillas in Nigeria, the group said.
"It's a big success story that shows communities can protect their wildlife," the WCS's Andrew Dunn said.
Cross River gorillas have been threatened by hunting and loss habitat for decades.
The subspecies was "rediscovered" in the late 1980s.
About 300 of the gorillas have been recorded in the region of about 12,000 square kilometres and the Mbe mountains forest is home to about a third of the Nigeria population.
Disease is one of several threats to the gorillas, along with conflict and insecurity in Cameroon.(WCS Nigeria via AP)
The gorillas are extremely shy of humans and their presence is detected mostly by their nests, dung and feeding trails, experts say.
Inaoyom Imong, director of WCS Nigeria's Cross River Landscape project, said the new photos were taken in a forest without any formal protection status where hunting appears to have reduced dramatically.
The conservation groups also are working to reduce illegal cutting of forests, but other dangers remain.
"Although hunters no longer target gorillas, snares set for other game pose a threat to the gorillas as infants can be caught in them and potentially die from injuries," Mr Imong said.
A local chief hopes the conservation efforts will eventually bring tourists to the region.(WCS Nigeria via AP)
Disease is also a threat, along with conflict and insecurity in Cameroon.
"Refugees from the ongoing insecurity in Cameroon are also moving into the area, and they will likely increase hunting pressure and the need for more farmland," Mr Dunn said.
For now, they must rely on the work of Nigerian communities.
"I feel honoured to be part of the efforts that are producing these results," Damian Aria, chief of the nearby village of Wula, said.
He said his community and others had worked hard to preserve the natural habitat for the gorillas, and they were proud of their efforts.
"We are so happy they are reproducing," he said.
While the gorillas' livelihood is important for nature, Mr Aria also hopes that mountain communities will benefit from the tourism they might bring.
No comments:
Post a Comment