Gendarmes foil illicit animal deal in Nkayi
Nkayi woke up to an unusual scene on 28 October 2025, when regional gendarmes quietly surrounded a modest house near the market. Inside, officers found a cardboard crate containing a six-month-old chimpanzee, dehydrated but alive, and a 40-something man already bargaining over its price.
The suspect, a Congolese national from the Bouenza hinterland, was immediately handcuffed by the Bouenza regional gendarmerie units posted in Madingou and Nkayi. Their action followed intelligence shared by the Departmental Directorate of Forestry Economy with technical backing from the Wildlife Law Enforcement Support Project, PALF.
Local residents accustomed to petty bush-meat sales were stunned. ‘I have never seen a baby chimp here,’ whispered a market woman, still shocked as the animal was driven away for veterinary checks. The police, meanwhile, praised ‘vigilant citizens’ whose tip had prevented an illegal sale.
Coordinated patrol brings swift arrest
According to investigators, the trafficker had travelled from Kindamba in the Pool Department, using informal bush paths to avoid roadside inspections. Over two months, he allegedly kept the infant in cramped cages, waiting for a customer willing to pay several hundred thousand CFA francs.
PALF technicians, who train law-enforcement on wildlife crime, confirmed that a discreet phone surveillance helped map the suspect’s route. The joint operation, they added, proves ‘cooperation between security forces and forestry agents is paying off’ in the fight against trafficking of totally protected species.
A six-month-old victim of cruelty
Vets estimated the chimp at barely six months old. Witnesses said the animal appeared listless, its tiny wrists rubbed raw by improvised ropes. Sunshine exposure, dehydration and repeated handling had stunted weight gain, classic symptoms observed in seized great apes, whose survival depends on near-constant maternal care.
Specialists explain that roughly one out of ten infants removed from the forest survives the trafficking chain, underscoring the brutality of capture where hunters often kill protective adults first (Jane Goodall Institute). By purchasing such animals, buyers fuel a cycle that empties ecosystems and destroys family groups.
Congolese law draws a clear red line
Under Article 27 of Law 37/2008 on Wildlife and Protected Areas, the import, export, transit or simple possession of a totally protected species is strictly prohibited. The only exceptions concern scientific research or breeding programmes authorised by the Water and Forests Administration.
The suspect therefore faces up to five years in prison and fines reaching five million CFA francs, penalties echoed by the 2011 ministerial decree that lists chimpanzees among fully protected fauna. Courts regularly apply custodial sentences in similar cases, signalling the Republic’s determination to deter traffickers.
Since 2020, at least fifteen wildlife crime verdicts have been recorded in Bouenza, many resulting from similar joint patrols, according to PALF statistics shared with local media. Observers say the growing backlog of convictions is beginning to discourage middlemen who used to operate with relative impunity.
Speaking after the arrest, a Bouenza gendarmerie spokesperson stressed that wildlife delinquency ‘is not a victimless crime’. He reminded citizens that tip lines remain open nationwide and promised that investigations will extend to anyone who financed or attempted to purchase the chimpanzee.
Tchimpounga sanctuary offers a fresh start
Shortly after seizure, the baby was transported to the Jane Goodall Institute’s Tchimpounga sanctuary in Kouilou. There, a quarantine team began rehydration therapy and parasite screening before introducing soft blankets and a plush surrogate, a protocol designed to reduce trauma during the first delicate weeks.
If recovery proceeds well, caregivers will gradually integrate the youngster into a nursery group where older orphans teach climbing, grooming and the complex sound repertoire of the species. Finally, teenagers ready for independence move to forested islands that simulate wild conditions, a process that can take years.
Great apes under mounting pressure
Conservationists warn that Central Africa’s chimpanzee populations have declined by almost 70 percent over four decades, driven by habitat loss, illegal bush-meat demand and the exotic pet trade (UN Great Apes Survival Partnership). Each infant captured represents up to ten adults slain in the forest, experts estimate.
Yet brighter signs emerge. Enhanced patrols, stronger penalties and community education are credited with a rise in seizures and convictions. Congo-Brazzaville’s adherence to international agreements like CITES also bolsters cross-border cooperation, making it harder for criminal networks to move live specimens or trophies through neighbouring states.
What happens next
The case file is now in the hands of the Nkayi prosecutor, who will decide on formal charges in the coming days. Legal observers expect a speedy trial, citing recent jurisprudence that treats great-ape trafficking as an aggravating circumstance because of the species’ closeness to humans.
For concerned citizens, authorities recommend promptly reporting any sale offer involving protected wildlife. The Ministry of Forest Economy reminds that Congo’s biodiversity is a national treasure and that safeguarding it ensures jobs in eco-tourism, research and environmental services. As the rescued chimp recovers, that message gains renewed weight.
