Guinea police have arrested an army colonel on suspicion of animal trafficking after seizing a collection of wild animals kept in his private zoos, reports Reuters.
“He was the owner of the animals and planned to sell them. He will be charged with animal trafficking,” Gadiri Conde, a divisional police commissioner, told Reuters.
There were 33 wild animals from 12 different species among them Chimpanzees, baboon, ostriches from Mali and turtles found captured on his two private properties.
WARA, a French charity based in Guinea and Senegal, began investigating Colonel Ibrahima Bangoura in 2013 on suspicion of his role in a network that trades protected species on the international market.
“This is a victory in the fight against corruption and impunity,” said Charlotte Houpline, from the WARA Conservation Project, adding that Interpol has collaborated on the case.
Guinea is a major wildlife trafficking hub, with ivory, skins, shark fins and live mammals regularly sold internationally by criminal groups. In March, authorities arrested two senior members of network suspected of trafficking chimpanzees and other endangered animals for over 30 years.
