The Cross River Gorilla is the worlds most endangered Gorilla, they are so endangered, that there are only between 200 300 Cross River Gorilla individuals left in the wild today.
This makes the critically endangered.
They are critically endangered for three reasons; one of which is not a very common reason for a species decline - but still an existing reason. This reason is due to inbreeding. The Cross River Gorilla is a species which is causing their own demise through inbreeding. When these animals inbreed, they weaken their own gene, and therefore - they cause their population to decline in numbers.
Inbreeding is not the only cause of this species declining, another reason they have been declining, is due to habitat destruction.
Habitat destruction is a common reason why animals become endangered, and the Cross River Gorilla is no exception to that. The destruction of their forest home in the African countries of Nigeria and Cameroon, is a contributing factor to their decline. Therefore, protecting these animals forests is important if they are to survive.
Lastly, these animals are also threatened because humans hunt them. The hunting of these animals have caused them to decline. But, it is actually illegal for them to be hunted in both Cameroon and Nigeria. Therefore, the hunting of these Gorillas is in fact illegal. Sadly that does not prevent people hunting them. Something which has caused these animals to become critically endangered.
The very low number of Cross River Gorillas could end up seeing them becoming extinct. The good news is, is that wildlife conservation can be successful, and wild animals that have been in a much more precarious position have saw the successful results of wildlife conservation. You can help these animals by