The Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), in collaboration with the Wilder Institute, has donated equipment worth N8 million for the conservation of Cross River’s endangered gorillas.
The foundation said it was part of its efforts in contributing to the protection of the nation’s threatened species such as the Cross River gorillas found in wildlife sanctuaries in the state.
This is contained in a statement by the Head of Communication, Mr Oladapo Soneye, and made available in Calabar on Friday, December 29, 2023.
Soneye said the donation was to boost ongoing research on the conservation of the gorillas, in partnership with other organisations.
He said the donation was made to some of the partners of NCF including Cross River National Park, Cross River Forestry Commission and the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
“The equipment, which will aid researches, include digital cameras, desktop computers, laptops, projectors and projector screen, video conferencing gadget, 65-inch flat screen Hi-sense TV, professional Video Conference Cameras.
“Others include MC3000 USB HD PTZ auto rotate tracking voice camera, digital microphone array, walkie-talkies, still cameras for GPS handsets and drones.
“The television and computer equipment will support video conferencing for meetings at the UNICAL while the camera traps, drones and other equipment are for the students research projects,” he said.
He noted that the Cross River Gorilla Initiative commenced in 2022 and had awarded scholarships to two masters and a doctorate student all in the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management in UNICAL.
He said the students had resumed their three months internship programme with NCF to gain practical experience in the use of field equipment, conduct field surveys and familiarise themselves with project communities.
According to him, the students will also understand the role of gender in forest resource management with reference to gorilla conservation.
Similarly, Mr Emmanuel Owan, Head, Calabar Office of NCF, said to achieve the project goals, a two-day training on gender and conservation was held recently in the University of Calabar.
Owan stated that the essence was to give participants a robust understanding of the importance of gender in the conservation of Cross River gorillas and it’s applicability in field research.
The Cross River gorilla is a critically endangered subspecie of the western gorilla and lives in small areas of highland forest spanning the border of Nigeria and Cameroon.
It is estimated that there are at most 300 Cross River gorillas left in the wild due to threats associated with habitat loss and hunting.
By Christian Njoku