Baby gorilla in smuggler's bag in Congo exposes black market ring

by Amy Judd | April 30, 2009 at 08:01 am

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A two year old baby gorilla was found stuffed into a smuggler's bag, attempting to carry it out of the Democratic of the Congo, and investigators have exposed an animal smuggling ring operating out of the Congo.

The gorilla was suffering from overheating and dehydration as she had already spent six hours inside the bag, but the man who was carrying her from the interior of the country to Goma has been arrested.

The gorilla also had numerous injuries and is weak, but is expected to survive.

The Congo is known for their mountain Gorillas and even though they have about 1,100 rangers to protect them, along with chimps, elephants and rhinos, that is just not enough to monitor them all the time.

"Our work has revealed a significant upsurge in the trafficking of baby gorillas in recent months, possibly as a result of the war last year," said Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. "Investigations have yet to reveal where these animals are being sent and who is buying them, but on the ground sources tell us that a baby gorilla can fetch up to $20,000."

Each trafficked gorilla represents at least two others that have been killed in the wild.

The Congo has two species of gorillas - the montain gorilla dn the lowland gorilla. Both are endangered species.

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