Stolen Apes

Chimpanzees to China

Beginning in 2007, a large number of chimpanzees were ex- ported from Guinea to China under valid CITES permits that declared the animals to be captive-bred. A CITES mission to Guinea in 2011 found that 69 chimpanzees had left the country in 2010 alone, all destined for Chinese zoos or safari parks that were quick to parade their acquisitions before the media as 'imported’ from Guinea. Investigations led by NGOs and private individuals have revealed that as many as 138 chimpanzees and 10 gorillas have been exported via travel routes established by Chinese development companies. No captive breeding facility exists in Guinea and investigators suspect that the apes were taken from Congo, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, or other neighbouring countries, in addition to Guinea.

2009

2010

2012

Orangutans and Ostriches

Rescue and Prosecution

On June 30, 2009, Malaysian wildlife authorities raided an ostrich breeding farm in Selangor and confiscated three infant orangutans that had been smuggled onto the main- land – including two that were being kept at the Taiping Zoo. Although records suggest that five orangutans were initially smuggled, there was no evidence of the remaining two. Taip- ing Zoo officials, meanwhile, insisted that ’anonymous people’ had donated the orangutans.

On October 9, 2012, an infant chimpanzee offered for sale was confiscated in the Congolese port of Brazzaville. Although the dealer fled, wildlife law enforcement officers were able to arrest the boat’s captain and a member of his crew for transporting illegal cargo, an offence under Congolese law. This led to the naming and arrest of the trafficker as well. The owner of the boat tried to corrupt the due legal process by threatening those involved in the arrest and claiming con- nections to the Congolese president, but the suspects remain under arrest and await trial. The chimpanzee, who suffered serious injuries as a result of his ordeal, nearly died from tetanus but was taken to a sanctuary in Pointe-Noire, Congo, where he recovered.

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