2 ape traffickers arrested and a baby chimp rescued

2 ape traffickers arrested and a baby chimp rescued in a crackdown on a transnational criminal network. This criminal network was trafficking apes from Liberia, Ivory Coast and Guinea to China and to countries of the Arab Gulf. It applied similar modus operandi to previously dismantled networks in Guinea. Apes were smuggled under the cover of a legal business of live animals and connections with some of the biggest ape traffickers known in Africa are being investigated.

The baby chimp was trafficked from Liberia to Ivory Coast on the night before the arrest and carried in a crate designed to transport two chimps at a time.

The chimpanzees of West Africa are now classified as critically endangered. They are at great risk of extinction from such specialized trafficking rings.

The baby chimp is a less than 2 years old female and got her family killed to be captured. She will receive long term care in the Akatia sanctuary.