Cross River Landscape for Wildlife Conservative Society (WCS), Nigeria Programme, says the popular Cross River gorillas are going into extinction.

Inaoyom Imong, WCS director, on Tuesday in Calabar, told reporters that only 100 were left.

He said the situation was becoming worrisome as the number of gorillas left in Nigeria was 100 and about 200 in the Cameroonian part of the forest.

According to him, other wildlife species such as chimpanzees, monkeys and fishes are also threatened due to human activities like deforestation for agricultural purposes, illegal logging, hunting and direct pollution.

“Due to a high rate of deforestation in Nigeria, the nation has lost quite a bit of its original forest cover.

“What is left now is probably about 10 per cent of which a substantial part is in the Cross River National Park and other protected areas.

“I don’t think it is so much a question of legislation to protect our wildlife because Nigeria already has quite a number of relevant laws. The problem is the enforcement of these laws,” he said.

Mr Imong said that WCS was collaborating with the national parks at the national level, Cross River and Bauchi governments at the state level to protect the nation’s wildlife.

He said Nigerians must be conscious of their environment and seek ways to conserve it for the benefit of the present and future generations. 

(NAN)