Couple arrested over baby mandrill trafficking in Nkayi
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Aci
A couple were arrested on 23 October in Nkayi, Bouenza Department, Congo, for keeping and attempting to sell a baby mandrill, a protected species. The animal, kept in captivity for several months, was seized and entrusted to specialists; the suspects face up to five years in prison and a fine of five million CFA francs, ACI reports.
A couple aged over 31 were arrested on 23 October 2026 in Nkayi, Bouenza Department, while keeping a baby mandrill intended for sale, according to the Congolese News Agency (ACI). The two people were arrested by gendarmes from Madingou and Nkayi, together with officials from the departmental directorate of the Forestry Economy, with support from the Wildlife Law Enforcement Support Project (Palf).
The couple admitted to keeping, transporting and attempting to sell the live primate. They reportedly bought it from poachers in January and kept it at home for several months in conditions involving exposure to the sun, captivity and ill-treatment, ACI reports. The defendants face up to five years in prison and a fine of five million CFA francs.
The baby mandrill was entrusted to the Jane Goodall Institute team at the Tchimpounga sanctuary in Kouilou Department, where it is to receive care before a possible release into the wild. The species, found notably in Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
