The Wildlife Conservation Society has been helping to forge trans-boundary cooperation and communication for Cross River gorilla protection, and is now mounting concerted protection efforts in the proposed Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary in Cameroon and the Mbe Mountains in Nigeria. The primary tools are community education, community-based conservation efforts, and regular forest patrols. The patrols gather basic information on gorilla activity, and the trackers’ presence discourages illegal activities such as burning and hunting. When such activities do occur, they are detected and reported promptly. Great Ape Trust allocated $10,000 for the salaries of a team of seven gorilla trackers to implement regular patrols in either Cameroon or Nigeria. All of the trackers are hired from the local communities, enhancing buy-in and providing local economic incentive for the conservation efforts.  Half of the award was raised from the 2nd Annual Bowlathon for Great Apes conducted by staff members at Great Ape Trust.