Gorilla Warfare

©WCS

The world’s most endangered gorilla is fighting for survival—literally. A recent study revealed that Cross River gorillas use weaponry to ward off threats by humans. In the wake of this report, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has announced new field surveys to better protect this great ape.

Cross River gorillas are restricted to Nigeria and Cameroon. They number only around 300 individuals, making them the most endangered of the four gorilla subspecies. The study in the Journal of Primatology documented several instances of Cross River gorillas throwing sticks and clumps of grass when threatened by people. This deviates from the usual reaction to human encounters by gorillas, which generally favor flight over fight.
 
The Wildlife Conservation Society has studied Cross River gorillas since 1999, and will begin new field surveys next month in an attempt to catalogue all potential gorilla habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided funding for the surveys. WCS also released an action plan earlier this year to safeguard the beleaguered Cross River gorilla. The plan included creating additional protected areas and raising awareness of this little known great ape.

The observations of weapon use took place in the proposed Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary in Cameroon—one of the new protected areas recommended in WCS’s report.

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