On the 20th July, exactly one month after the
arrival of Mbandaka, the CRPL received their 3rd chimpanzee
confiscation for 2012. A female named
“Beni” arrived at CRPL having been confiscated by the ICCN (Institut Congolais
pour la Conservation de la Nature) in the town of Beni from a family that had
kept her as a pet for 2 years. We
estimate Beni as being just over 2 years of age, meaning that she must have
been taken from the wild at a very young age, her mother and family probably
killed for bushmeat.
The CRPL had assistance from UN-GRASP (United Nations Great
Apes Survival Partnership) who worked in conjunction with local MONUSCO
peacekeeping forces in the DRC and provided transport from Beni to the nearby
airport on a scheduled UN helicopter flight.
The CRPL also had assistance from ZSL researchers working in Beni who
helped with logistics. This fantastic
effort between UN-GRASP, ICCN, ZSL and CRPL shows how the collaboration of many
organisations can work together in the fight against the illegal wildlife
trades in the DRC.
Beni has settled in well to life here at CRPL with
Mbandaka. They spend the day playing
together; they comfort each other and have formed a strong relationship. Hopefully they will be able to join the rest
of the nursery group in the not too distant future.
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