Shocking conditions for rescued chimps in DRC

Chimpanzees already at Kinshasa zoo

The chimps were taken from the LWIRO Primates Rehabilitation Centre in Eastern DRC. LWIRO, accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, was established in 2002, towards the end of the second Congolese war, to offer safe haven to orphaned great apes and other primates. Ironically, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), the government agency reportedly responsible for the seizure of the 12 chimps, is the very same institution that helped establish LWIRO in the first place. 

Following demands from NGOs and civil society groups for an explanation, the ICCN’s Director published a statement suggesting that the chimps were taken to populate Kinshasa and Kisangani zoos as part of an ongoing 5-year reconstruction process which, by all accounts, has not yet begun. Images, provided to Born Free by trusted colleagues in the region, show chimpanzees living in barren, dirty and dilapidated cages in the zoo. 

All great apes are threatened with extinction and are protected by international and national laws. Animals at sanctuaries are typically victims of wildlife trafficking and arrive physically and psychologically traumatized. These sanctuaries offer them the chance to recover and reintegrate into carefully managed social groups. The removal of the 12 chimps from their sanctuary home, and their relocation to the completely unsuitable environment in Kinshasa  Zoo, will have unimaginable consequences for their well-being. Some of the chimps already present at the zoo have reportedly died. 

Responding to the news, Born Free’s co-founder and Executive President Will Travers OBE said: “Given the investment by sanctuaries in rehabilitating the individuals in their care, and the complexity of the work they carry out daily, we cannot accept that the State can pick and choose animals from organisations whose mission, supported by many people from around the world, is to protect these primates, care for them, and, where possible, return them to the wild. Categorically, these facilities were not established, at great cost, hardship, and personal sacrifice, to supply any zoo and subject the rescued animals in their care to woeful welfare and, according to reports, to breeding experiments. We would urge the ICCN to prioritise efforts to combat poaching that fuels the trafficking of protected species, to safeguard the highest standards of animal welfare, and to work with and support the efforts of genuine sanctuaries.”

The DRC is a really important range State for African great Apes, being home to Eastern chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, Eastern lowland gorillas, and bonobos. Sadly, it is also a hub for the exploitation and trafficking of great apes and many other species. Senior ICCN officials have been removed from their posts in recent months following allegations of serious corruption involving the trafficking of great apes and associated bribery and falsification of documents. There are real concerns that the true motivation behind the seizure of animals from sanctuaries may be to trade them into lucrative international markets. 

The fate of the seized chimps remains uncertain, their survival in doubt, and there are fears that more animals could be seized from sanctuaries, causing them further trauma and distress. 

Born Free has joined with French organisation 30 Millions d’Amis, Humane Society International’s Africa office, and the International Fund or Animal Welfare, in an approach to the DRC’s Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, asking her to intervene as a matter of urgency, in the hope that the chimps can be returned to their sanctuary home, that further seizures of animals from sanctuaries will be prevented, and that DRC and the ICCN will commit itself to effective conservation and upholding the highest possible standards of animal welfare. 

Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy at Born Free concluded: “The welfare of these animals must be of the highest priority. We urge the authorities in the DRC to secure the immediate return of the 12 chimps to their sanctuary home, and to cease any further efforts to remove animals from sanctuaries.”