Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary

The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Cross River State in southern Nigeria covers 104 km² (40 sq mi).^[1] The wildlife sanctuary was founded in 2000 to provide refuge for endangered animal species, including the Cross River gorilla, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, the drill and the gray-necked rockfowl.

Afi is managed by the Cross River State Forestry Commission/Ministry of Climate Change and Forestry. Although the steep mountainous slopes of the sanctuary have largely protected the forest from logging, it is frequently damaged by dry-season bush fires that are set to clear land for farming or to catch game. Open areas created by fire are quickly colonized by herb species which form an important staple food for gorillas. The largest African wintering ground of the European swallow is in the western part of the sanctuary, where an estimated 20 million of these birds roost during the winter. The Sanctuary is surrounded by 16 communities with a total population of approximately 27,000 people.^[2]