Our call to CITES CoP20 in light of urgent chimpanzee trafficking concerns
“The trafficking in chimpanzees is happening at industrial scale, we must act now.” The Jane Goodall Institute calls for action at CITES CoP20
Three infant chimpanzees vanished from Kinshasa’s N’Sele Zoo between the evening of November 23rd and the morning of November 24th, echoing the kidnapping of chimpanzees, Monga, César and Hussein from JACK sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022. Now being treated as a theft, in which three birds were also stolen, the latest incident is but one of a long series of disappearances likely linked to the clandestine trafficking of great apes across national borders.
The theft was perpetrated on the eve of the 20th meeting of Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (24th November to 5th December 2025). CITES has been in force for 50 years, a milestone for any international forum, and currently boasts a membership of 185 Parties.
CoP20 comes at a crucial time for many endangered species, including chimpanzees. In the lead up to CoP, the Institute raised concerns about the integrity of trade administered through the Convention’s permit system and called on Parties to take measures to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of great apes in the wild. These concerns are echoed in a statement issued by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group Section on Great Apes.
“Chimpanzees are disappearing from the wild at the same time that individuals and entire groups are disappearing from sanctuaries and zoological parks. We may not know the end destination for all these apes, but what we do know is that many are laundered into the international trade at scales that current data do not capture. There are cones of silence fortified by the same corruption that benefits from what Dr Goodall herself called ‘an evil business.’
How many thefts, fake permits, misuses of source codes, instances where trade-controlled specimens are mislabelled as belonging to other species to secure illegal passage, anomalies in export/import data are needed before more is done? We call upon the Parties to CITES to take more decisive action to combat illegal trade and safeguard the integrity of its own regime to fulfil its mantra of ‘legal, sustainable, traceable’ trade. The trafficking in chimpanzees is happening at industrial scale, we must act now.”
Dr Zara Bending, Resident expert on wildlife crime and international law for JGI Global
There are a range of signs that illegal trade is taking place on a major and alarming scale, involving serious organised crime and threatening whole species with extinction and the balance of eco-systems, as well as causing untold suffering to trafficked wildlife. This can be seen in regular large seizures of wildlife from ants to eels, from rosewood to pangolin scales.
What’s more it is clear that government officials, including those employed as part of CITES implementation, are at times facilitating trafficking, whether intentionally in cases of fraudulent CITES paperwork or unintentionally through lack of training, enforcement capacity or outright negligence. There are widespread concerns about the lack of due diligence in CITES implementation including officials not scrutinizing CITES source codes identifying the origins of great apes traded as well as incidents where border officials have been unable or unwilling to properly identify specimens being shipped.
Given what is now common knowledge following multiple troubling events over the years, including the theft and ransom of infant chimpanzees, and the fact that all great apes are afforded the highest level of protection from international trade under CITES Appendix I, any trade should be questioned thoroughly. A precautionary approach must prevail, and this ought to apply particularly to large volumes of wildlife to non-range states, such as those transactions identified in SC79 Doc. 6.3.4 and beyond.
We therefore strongly support Uganda’s proposals in CoP20 Doc. 78.2 including the establishment of a CITES Great Ape Enforcement Task Force. As a member of UNEP GRASP, the Institutes acknowledges the important work done by the partnership in bringing stakeholders together for the conservation of great apes however its remit does not cover enforcement and enforcement is now vital. CITES must step up to enforce its own framework within its own framework with support from groups including UNEP GRASP.
Although the Institute has recently endured the profound loss of our beloved founder, Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, we are unwavering in our commitment to carry her legacy forward. Her lifelong dedication to understanding and protecting chimpanzees, other apes, and their habitats guides our work and our engagement with Parties in executing their obligations.
Photo credits: the Jane Goodall Institute
