Canadian Wildlife Artist and Conservationist Daniel Taylor has created several gorilla paintings and is supporting YoG fundraising efforts through the sale of a Mountain Gorilla Silverback portrait. 80% of the sales price goes to gorilla conservation projects.

Daniel has also created a portrait of the rare Cross River Gorilla and is currently creating a second painting of this elusive species. The inspiration for these works came from an expedition to the Cross River Gorillas’ habitat in the wild, on which Daniel went with his wife Ginette and partners from the African Conservation Foundation.

Here is an abridged version of a travel report Daniel wrote up after visiting the Cross River Gorillas in their habitat.

Land of The Cross River Gorilla

Internationally known high realist wildlife artist and conservationist Daniel Taylor and his wife Ginette took part in an extraordinary expedition deep into the mysterious heartland of the Lebialem Highland rain forest of South West Cameroon in search of the most endangered gorilla species. There are only 250-300 Cross River Gorillas left in the wild. The expedition was an adventure, and it was certainly not a luxury safari!! Nothing for the faint-hearted..

Exploring this elusive primate’s habitat with two directors of the African Conservation Foundation, Mr. Arend de Haas and Mr. Louis Nkembi, he would become the first artist ever to create a painted rendition of this shy, intelligent animal, helping to make the world aware of its critically endangered status.

On their long and arduous journeys over heavily eroded red dirt roads they taught scores of school children in some of the remotest areas about their little known neighbors, the gorillas. At a local King’s request, they set up a video program about primates within the king’s palace and educated the children.

Daniel also taught the children to draw a large simple rendition of a gorilla head and handed out to each child a pencil, brush and paints to share. They would then copy and paint the picture he had drawn for them. With much enthusiasm and excitement they then held a contest choosing the 4 best drawings, each winning child receiving a little prize. An extremely difficult choice.. Every child was allowed to keep their painting and received a pencil, balloons and gum. Lots of happy faces that day!

At a meeting with a great assembly of Chiefs and a local Fon (King), the expedition asked permission to pass through their land. Over a long and heated debate they explained their expedition and what they were offering in return. The project’s strategy is to assist the local people with alternative income generating opportunities such as wildlife farming, bee keeping and eco-tourism, thereby reducing the demand for bushmeat they largely depend upon. This was well received.

Some of the greatest threats to the gorillas’ and other primates’ survival, next to logging and slash-and-burn agriculture, are poaching and hunting for bushmeat. It is illegal to kill gorillas and other primates in both Cameroon and Nigeria, but enforcement is lax. The number of adult Cross River Gorillas is tiny and their fragmented habitat places the population at the risk of inbreeding and further loss of genetic diversity. For Daniel and co. personally the poaching was quite evident as they met several machete-wielding poachers illegally selling dead monkeys. Their guide, a former poacher, upon being asked how many Gorillas he had killed, could not recall exactly - "Too many to count".

Early in the morning, about 5 am, they started their descent into the lush valley below. The terrain a steady drop of slippery and treacherous trails. One slip this way or that would have led to serious consequences.

On the descent they found that in addition to deforestation, the area suffers from serious degradation. They moved down through intensively used secondary forests and slash-and-burn agricultural plots, with crops such as plantains, cocoa and oil palm. Gradually the vegetation changed into a more pristine but silent rain forest. The following morning chill greeted them as they overlooked the deep, lush misty valley below. A cool mist gently shrouded the lush green-blue hills.... the land of the Cross River Gorilla.

As Daniel says: “It is impossible to capture with words the almost mystical experience of being in this completely wild realm of aromas, sights and sounds so new and foreign to the senses. It made all the hardship we endured worthwhile and made me understand once more that we are, and must be, stewards of this amazingly diverse planet we call home. Truly this was a glimpse of Eden.”

To purchase a print of Daniel Taylor’s artwork, look here.

For more information, please go to:
www.art-for-africa.net
www.crossrivergorilla.org
www.africanconservation.org
or search ‘Cross River Gorilla’ on YouTube.