and sometimes regarded them as totems, and also used them as tests for medicine. Another threat to the Cross River gorilla is the harmful gorilla pet trade. To date, there is only one recorded Cross River gorilla in captivity, held at the . Although it seems like a small number of gorillas in captivity, the pet trade has posed a large threat to other species of gorillas in the past, and will likely endanger the Cross River gorilla. Since baby gorillas make preferable pets, hunters will often kill the adults protecting the baby. The Cross River gorilla is critically endangered due to the combined threat of hunters and infection with Ebola. Even if the rate of Ebola mortality along with hunting was rebated, the promise of these gorillas making a fast recovery is unlikely. The reproduction rate of the Cross River gorilla is low and it is estimated that it will take 75 years for the population to fully recover. They are also threatened by loss of habitat due to mining, agriculture, and timber usage. Despite this, conservationists are optimistic about the gorilla's chances for survival after capturing several adults and babies on film in spring 2020. Conservation status While all western gorillas are Critically Endangered (in the case of the western lowland gorilla due in part to the Ebola virus), the Cross River gorilla is the most endangered of the African apes. A 2014 survey estimated that less than 250 mature individuals were left in the wild. However, according to a 2012 survey conducted by Conservation International, the Cross River gorilla did not make "The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates List". In efforts to conserve other species, it has already been determined that scattered populations should be brought together to prevent inbreeding. One problem with the scattered populations of Cross River gorillas is that they are surrounded by human populations that cause threats such as bushmeat hunting and habitat loss. Also, the protected habitats of Cross River gorillas along the Nigeria-Cameroon border are close to hunting regions, which increases the threat of extinction. The Cross River gorilla is especially significant to the ecosystem because they are excellent seed dispersers for certain tropical plant species that would otherwise face extinction. In 2007, a survey was conducted in 5 villages in the aim of assessing taboos against hunting and eating these endangered species. In the Lebialem division of Cameroon, 86% of