World Wildlife Fund

A man who has admitted trafficking more than 500 endangered chimpanzees out of the West African country Republic of Guinea has been captured and sentenced to the maximum possible jail term and a fine, according to a law enforcement group involved with the case.

The organization Guinée Application de la Loi Faunique (GALF) says convicted kingpin Ousmane Diallo and his two accomplices, who also received prison sentences, have been implicated in the poaching of chimps, lions, leopards, hyenas and tropical birds over the past decade.

“Breaking these networks will require a real commitment from the Guinean authorities as major criminals take advantage of the lack of political will and the lightness of the penalties,” said Charlotte Houpline, GALF founder and coordinator. “But this time the result is excellent, we arrested one of biggest ape traffickers and we obtained one year in prison against him, the most severe penalty under Guinean law for this type of offense. It is a historic decision.”

Poaching and trafficking of chimpanzees has driven the species into severe decline. All cross-border trade in great apes like chimps, gorillas and orang-utans is prohibited under international law, but the demand for the animals by zoos, wildlife parks and as exotic pets has continued. Republic of Guinea was sanctioned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species earlier this year for circumventing rules meant to safeguard the country’s wild animals.

“Poachers target young chimpanzees for the illegal pet trade, but their families will often fight to the death to protect them," said David Greer of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). "For every baby that is exported alive another 10 chimps may have died. Infants often perish from the trauma of capture leading poachers to pursue yet another victim, and repeating time and again the tragic killing scenario.”

“There are as few as 8,000 chimpanzees remaining in Republic of Guinea.” Greer says. “To prevent ape populations from careening toward extinction, countries across West and Central Africa must provide better protection, undertake more thorough investigations, conduct rigorous prosecutions, eradicate corruption in the legal system and impose stronger penalties to deter poachers and traffickers.”

The operation to apprehend the fugitive syndicate was undertaken by the Guinean government’s INTERPOL bureau and GALF. WWF supports GALF’s work on wildlife crime investigations. During the sting, authorities seized 150 birds and were able to release them safely back into the wild.

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