Dear Friend,
New camera trap footage (captured by a hidden, motion-activated wildlife camera) from the Mawambi Hills of Southwest Cameroon has given us a rare and hopeful look at the critically endangered Cross River gorillas in their forest home (watch the above video).
In March, our partners at Community-Based Biosynergy Management (CBBM) retrieved motion-triggered camera footage. Among the clips was an encouraging sighting: five Cross River gorillas moving together through the forest.
Fewer than 300 Cross River gorillas are believed to remain, making them the worldโs most endangered gorilla subspecies. Seeing a group of five in this landscape is a hopeful sign that community-led conservation is helping protect habitat where they can survive.
The cameras also captured chimpanzees, a bay duiker, two different types of monkeys, and red river hogs. Together, these sightings point to a healthy forest โ not just a corridor, but a stronghold for wildlife.
The purpose of the community-based camera tracking is to monitor the population size and well-being of the Cross River gorillas so that we may better protect this rare subspecies.
In the closing clip, Koko sees Ndume on a screen before they had met in person and responds with a kiss โ a reminder that seeing another gorilla, even from afar, can carry real meaning.
It also reminds us that Koko is the motivating force behind all our efforts to help gorillas. Her life at The Gorilla Foundation forever changed the world’s perception of gorillas, and continues to inspire us to do more for them, and deepen our interspecies connection.
Thank you for helping make this work possible, and for caring about gorillas you may never meet.
With Koko love,
Penny Patterson
President, CEO and Founder
The Gorilla Foundation / koko.org
Conservation through Communication
The Gorilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our Federal Tax ID is: 942-38-6151
