Baby Chimpanzees Kidnapped From Sanctuary
Abductors have posted a distressing video of the chimps being held hostage, and are demanding ransom money for their safe return.
César, pictured, was among the baby chimpanzees abducted. Credit: Facebook/J.A.C.K.
Three baby chimpanzees have been kidnapped from a sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Kidnappers snatched the chimps during a late night break-in at J.A.C.K., a primate sanctuary in Lubumbashi on September 9th.
The sanctuary is home to over 100 animal residents, and works to stop the illegal trade of chimpanzees by working alongside law enforcement. DRC Environment officials send orphaned chimpanzees and monkeys to the sanctuary so that they can be rehabilitated and hopefully returned to the wild.
But the sanctuary’s baby chimps César, Hussein and Monga, who were all rescued earlier this year, are now being held hostage in what is believed to be the first case of its kind.
“This is the first time in the world that baby apes were kidnapped for ransom,” Franck Chantereau, founder of the J.A.C.K. sanctuary, told CNN.
A distressing video of the monkeys being held hostage was sent to Chantereau’s wife after the kidnapping. In the footage, which J.A.C.K. shared on Twitter, a baby chimp can be seen with their hands tied up above their head, while the two other baby chimps are trying to hide in the corner of the barren concrete room. The kidnappers accompanied the video with ransom messages.
“They told us that they had planned to kidnap my children because they were supposed to come here on vacation. But they didn’t come so the kidnappers took these three babies hostage and demanded a large amount of ransom from us,” Chantereau said.
Chantereau told press that it’s “impossible” to pay the ransom. “Not only do we not have the money, but you need to understand that if we go their way, they could very well do it again in two months, and also we have no guarantee that they will return the baby to us”, he explained.
“There are 23 sanctuaries across the continent doing this. If we pay the ransom, it could set a precedent and it could give ideas to others, so we must be extremely vigilant”, Chantereau added.
A spokesperson for DRC’s environment minister agreed with Chentereau’s decision not to pay the ransom, and confirmed the investigation to identify the kidnappers is ongoing.
One of the keepers at J.A.C.K.’s holding a rescue chimpanzee. The sanctuary works to rehabilitate orphaned chimpanzees. Credit: Facebook/J.A.C.K.
The illegal trade in chimpanzees is fueled by wealthy buyers who keep exotic animals captive in their homes. Sanctuary owners like Chentereau fear that the exotic animal trade will lead to more kidnappings of this kind, as poachers increasingly struggle to find the animals in the jungle due to dwindling populations.
“All these animals are becoming rarer in the forest”, Chentereau warned. “We in the sanctuaries, we have animals, they are healthy. It’s clear that it’s much easier for these people to attack us.”
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