Baby gorilla trafficking in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is on the rise, according to the Congolese Wildlife Authorities (ICCN) following the rescue of a poached infant gorilla on October 6. There have been four incidents since April, the highest recorded number of baby gorillas confiscated from poachers in a single year.
"We are very concerned about a growing market for baby gorillas that is feeding a dangerous trafficking activity in rebel-controlled areas of eastern DRC,” said Virunga National Park Warden Emmanuel de Merode.
On October 6, a team of park rangers who went undercover as potential buyers in the town of Kirumba in Lubero territory near the western border of the park, agreed on the price of $40 000 for a one-and-a-half-year-old male Grauer’s gorilla three poachers were hiding in a small backpack. Rangers arrested the three poachers once they had possession of the gorilla.
“It’s very likely that the mother and other gorillas were killed because it’s very difficult to take a baby gorilla from its family,” said leader of the undercover operation, ranger Christian Shamavu.
In April and June, baby Grauer’s gorillas were confiscated from poachers in eastern DRC, and in August Rwandan police recovered a baby mountain gorilla poachers were attempted to smuggle into Rwanda. The selling price for infant gorillas varies from $15 000 to $40 000, according to De Merode.
“Many of these infants are injured from ropes around their hands, feet or waist, and some are quite ill from being in close contact with their human captors, extremely stressed, and with very poor nutrition,” said veterinarian with Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Project (MGVP) Jan Ramer.
Rescued baby gorillas are quarantined for a period of 30 days while veterinarians from MGVP run a series of health checks. Ramer said the latest rescued orphan, named Shamavu after the ranger who rescued him, appears to be “quite healthy other than some parasites and dry skin”.
