Media Centre for Cross River Gorilla Surveys in the Highland Rainforests of South West Cameroon

Former Volunteer

"When we arrived at our base camp we were greeted by many children and 5 women soon to find out that this large group are the wives and children of our guide, a kind and handsome man in his early 50's whom we affectionately called 'Play-Boy'. As he is a former poacher, we asked how many Gorillas has he had killed but he couldn't recall – too many to count!

Early next morning we got a wake up call at 5 am by a rooster right next to our tent. Quickly eating and readying our gear we soon started our immediate decent deep into the valley below, greatly anticipating what we are going to find.

The moss covered, weather-worn trail allowed for only one foot directly in front of the other. In addition to deforestation, the area suffers from serious forest degradation. We moved down through intensively used secondary forests and slash-and-burn agricultural plots, with crops such as plantains, cocoa and oil palm. Gradually the vegetation changed into ‘pristine’ but silent rainforest. It rained heavily during the afternoon, but we managed to reach our goal.

As a result of negative experiences with humans, such as hunting, the remaining Cross River gorillas in the area are extremely shy and elusive, adding to their enigma even further. We did not get a glimpse of the gorillas, but we are not sure whether they got a glimpse of us. We found many signs such as gorilla nest sites high up in the trees, trails and feeding signs.

The next morning we woke up in a new world, with a dramatic view over the deep valley below. We could see a cool mist gently shrouding the mysterious hills in its lush hues of pastel greens and blues -- the land of the Cross River Gorilla."