More than 25 apes trafficked from Congo recovered in Zimbabwe

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At least 26 great apes illegally removed from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been seized in Zimbabwe, where four suspected traffickers have been arrested.

Congo’s environment minister, Claude Nyamugabo Bazibuhe, also announced a large seizure of pangolin scales from the country’s north-east.

Congo is one of the world’s last refuges for endangered great apes, such as eastern lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas, while the pangolin is considered the most-trafficked animal worldwide for its scales, which are prized in traditional Chinese medicine.

Two Congolese nationals, a Malawian and a Zambian were arrested on Wednesday during a routine border post check as they entered Zimbabwe with the apes in a truck, Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for the Zimbabwean parks and wildlife authority said on Friday.