World's rarest great ape pictured with babies in Nigeria

Photos have been released for the first time in years showing a group of rare gorillas in the mountains of southern Nigeria, BBC News reports, citing conservationists.

Only 300 Cross River gorillas are known to live in the wild, making them the most endangered sub-species.

But the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says this sighting raises hopes that the animals at risk of extinction are actually reproducing.

A number of infant gorillas are visible in the shots taken earlier this year.

WCS in Nigeria, an international non-governmental organisation, said the pictures were captured by camera traps in the Mbe mountains.