Investigation uncovers shocking details about brutal black market targeting rare species: 'It is a terrible thing to do'

The illegal hunting of gorillas and the illicit trade of their body parts are drawing higher prices in Nigeria, according to a recent Mongabay investigation, which focused on the Cross River gorilla. 

What's happening?

Locals have spoken of a massive increase in the prices of these body parts in recent years. 

In a 2019 Mongabay video, a trafficker said that in the 1980s, they would purchase parts for around $3 to $5. In the video, he said traders were buying a head, feet, and hands from hunters for around $49, then selling them to end users for $98, with the potential for prices to go higher.

Identifying the use of the body parts in traditional medicine and spiritual practices as a prime driver of the illicit market for the animals, thought to be full of powerful properties, Mongabay issued a new report this past February, saying that prices had risen even more. The traders with whom the outlet spoke for its most recent investigation shared that "a gorilla head goes from 300,000 to 1 million naira ($200 to $670), a drastic rise from five years ago."

Traditional healing and spirituality have contributed to the illegal hunting of gorillas, but that's not the only danger the animals face. For example, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has described habitat loss and the resulting lack of access to natural resources, loss of genetic diversity due to small populations, disease, and becoming caught in traps meant to capture other animals as additional threats to the Cross River gorilla.

Meanwhile, the shrinking of ape populations has caused prices to surge. Fewer products on the market create a mismatch between supply and demand, causing inflated scarcity pricing. Fewer gorillas in the wild also mean longer, more costly trips for hunters, adding to the price tag.

But not all hunters are enthusiastic about their roles in killing the animals. In fact, for many families, the killing of gorillas is a significant cultural taboo. 

"I had to kill it [the gorilla] because of money. It is a terrible thing to do," former hunter Benjamin Dauda told Mongabay.

Why is this concerning?

In a follow-up this April, Mongabay noted the IUCN estimate that around three Cross River gorillas are killed every year, "a devastating rate for a species with fewer than 300 individuals left in the wild." 

Its cousin, the western lowland gorilla, saw its numbers demolished by repeated Ebola outbreaks. Both subspecies are critically endangered. As their populations continue to decline, inbreeding may weaken their bodies and communities.

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What's being done?

Law enforcement has not been effective enough in stopping the hunting and trading of gorillas, while in some communities, the cultural stigma seems to act as a deterrent. 

"When a hunter kills a gorilla, our people are not happy about it," Dauda said. "They would see you as an abomination." 

Mongabay's reporting didn't fully address potential stigmas around consulting with spiritualists who use gorilla body parts, and it's not clear that morés would be enough to protect the animals anyhow. The taboos that are in the cultural "air supply" have existed for some time, and poaching still persists, largely because profits act as an incentive for hunters. 

Higher prices could only inflame the situation. But investment in community-oriented, pro-environment employment opportunities might help encourage job seekers to leave hunting behind to support vulnerable wildlife and local ecosystems. 

In 2024, the Cross River Gorilla Initiative announced the rare sighting of two mature males using trail cameras in an effort the Wilder Institute described as "[aiming] to bridge the gap between conservation efforts and community engagement" and "[equipping] Nigerian graduate students with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead future conservation efforts."

Meanwhile, younger practitioners of traditional medicine are often steering toward "more readily available" alternatives to gorilla body parts, according to Mongabay's February report, using body parts from different animals instead. 

"Traditional medicine is changing," Uzondu Agwu told Mongabay. "Native doctors are beginning to develop cheaper medicines that don't depend on expensive animal parts like apes."

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