Kidnappers abduct three baby chimpanzees from a sanctuary, demand six-figure ransom

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have launched investigations in a bid to identify kidnappers who abducted three baby Chimpanzees in an animal sanctuary.

The kidnappers broke into the Young Animals Confiscated in Katanga sanctuary (abbreviated as JACK in French) around 3 am on September 9, 2022, before fleeing with the three young primates identified as César, Hussein, and Monga. 

The sanctuary - located in Lubumbashi area - founder Franck Chantereau says that the suspects had planned to abduct their two children before walking away with the animals.

They are now demanding a six-figure ransom to release the animals alive.

"They told us that they had planned to kidnap my children because they were supposed to come here on vacation. But they didn't come so the kidnappers took these three babies hostage and demanded a large amount of ransom from us," Chantereau says.

Chantereau has however said that he and his wife will not pay the money because that would open a door for more abductions in sanctuaries across Africa.

"Not only do we not have the money, but you need to understand that if we go their way, they could very well do it again in two months, and also we have no guarantee that they will return the babies to us," he adds.

This is not the first time that Chantereau’s sanctuary has been targeted. Months after its foundation in 2006, a group of people broke in during the night and set fire to the baby chimps' sleeping place, killing two out of the five that were there at the time, CNN reports.