Posted by Well, almost. Here’s some info from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s press release:
“With the assistance of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Cameroon Program, a film crew from the Hamburg-based NDR Naturfilm managed to video the elusive Cross River gorilla earlier this year in a stand of montane trees after weeks of effort in the Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary. The protected area was created in 2008, with the guidance of WCS, specifically to protect the world’s rarest great ape.
“These gorillas are extremely wary of humans and are very difficult to photograph or film,” said Dr. Roger Fotso, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Cameroon Program. “Eventually, we identified and staked out some of the gorillas favorite fig trees, which is where we finally achieved our goal.”
“It’s unbelievable that one great ape subspecies has never been filmed for TV so far,” said Jörn Röver, Head of NDR Naturfilm. “We hope that our international production helps to raise awareness for these magnificent creatures and the work of the WCS.”
The only previous footage available of the rare apes was taken from a long distance with a shaky, hand-held camera in 2005 by a field researcher.”
This clip is the first professional video of the elusive and highly endangered Cross River gorilla. It is the world’s rarest great ape, numbering fewer than 300 individuals along the border of Nigeria and Cameroon.
Too bad the only apparent video equipment the team had on hand was my dad’s camcorder…
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