Baby gorilla rescued from trafficking ring
A baby gorilla has been seized from animal traffickers in the Democratic Republic of Congo following a three-month undercover investigation to bust an international wildlife smuggling ring.
One suspected trafficker was caught and arrested at Goma International Airport on Sunday while disembarking from a flight from Walikale in the interior of the country with an eastern lowland gorilla stashed in his luggage, according to the Congolese Wildlife Authority.
The two-year-old gorilla was found concealed under clothes at the bottom of a bag and was suffering from over-heating and dehydration after spending over six hours in transit.
Rescuers have named the gorilla Amani, which means peace in Swahili. She is recovering well but has a nasty wound in her right leg, according to the Gorilla.CD blog.
“Our work has revealed a significant upsurge in the trafficking of baby gorillas in recent months, possibly as a result of the war last year. Investigations have yet to reveal where these animals are being sent and who is buying them, but on the ground sources tell us that a baby gorilla can fetch up to $20,000,” said Emmanuel de Merode, Director of Virunga National Park.
“We must remember that for each trafficked baby gorilla, several gorillas have probably been killed in the wild. If we want to preserve our gorillas – and other wildlife – significant resources must be invested to put a stop to these trafficking rings.”
Some 1,100 Park Rangers protect the National Parks of eastern DR Congo, a region affected by a 12-year civil war and current political instability. These parks are home to mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and rhinos, among other wildlife. Poaching, wildlife trafficking and habitat destruction remain the key threats to the survival of the wildlife in these parks.