Four foreigners were arrested by Zimbabwean authorities at Chirundu for smuggling 25 monkeys from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Two Congolese nationals, a Malawian and a Zambian were intercepted by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) officials with the assistance of the police.
The suspects are in custody and are believed to have been transporting the monkeys to South Africa.
The smuggled monkeys are a rare species — only peculiar to DRC, and were being transported in a closed truck.
ZimParks is taking care of the monkeys and will soon be repatriated to DRC.
“We intercepted monkeys that were being smuggled from DRC and their destination was possibly South Africa.
“Four foreigners, two Congolese, a Malawian and a Zambian have been arrested in connection with the crime. They appeared before a Karoi Magistrate and were remanded in custody,” said ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo.
“We are nursing them and we are keeping them in cages. We are giving them food and fruits that were sourced from well-wishers. They are suffering from stress because of travelling,” he said.
ZimParks intended to give them medications and was still assessing the primates’ condition before repatriating them.
“We are in communication with authorities there,” said Mr Farawo.
The suspects have since appeared in court, while the animals will be repatriated to the DRC.
“This week our officers intercepted a truck with about 26 monkeys at Chirundu Border Post,” said Farawo.
“We managed to confiscate the monkeys. They are in our care and we are feeding them with our various partners. The monkeys will soon be repatriated back to the DRC,” he added.