Great Ape Skulls Seized in Ambam

Trafficker nabbed with Great Ape skulls

By a correspondent in Ebolowa
A man was arrested by wildlife officials in the frontier town of Ambam,  in the South Region while attempting to sell 18 ape skulls to a client. Officials of the Ntem Valley Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife collaborated with the Gendarmerie Brigade during the arrest operation and the man has been charged for illegal possession, circulation and commercialization of parts of protected wildlife species punishable under sections 101 and 158 of the 1994 wildlife law. The arrest of the 25-year old suspect who was carrying a black leather travelling bag concealing the skulls was done as he was about to negotiate the deal through in a bar at the town’s centre.
    Prior investigations had provided enough evidence that he had been involved in skulls trafficking alongside the bushmeat trade for a long time. Sources close to the case say he is well known to dealers in bushmeat, as he supplies bullets to poachers who kill great apes in the forests and he later on collects the meat and other parts from the poachers to supply bushmeat sellers in Ambam located some 220 km from Yaounde and close to the border with Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. He confessed to have been arrested several times by officials but has never been prosecuted. The operation was carried out with were technical assistance from LAGA, a nongovernmental organization specialized in providing support to government in the domain of wildlife law enforcement.

    The huge quantity of skulls seized during this single operation is unprecedented within the framework of crackdown operations carried out in the country over the last few years and it is a sad reminder that we are today facing one of the biggest challenges of our time with great ape conservation. Just last year alone, 24 traffickers were arrested for illegal trafficking in ape skulls and heads around the country. During 14 crackdown operations carried out by wildlife officials, 58 skulls and heads obtained from the killing of 58 chimpanzees and gorillas were seized from traffickers. Two other great apes – a dead gorilla and a live baby chimpanzee were equally seized from traffickers. Worrying though is the fact that this may just be the tip of the iceberg. The arrests took place in the South, South West, Littoral, Centre and the West regions, areas which may still hold significant populations of great apes.
    New developments on the continent such as the rise in terrorism have shifted attention to ivory trafficking which has been linked to funding terrorism and is attracting a lot of attention, shifting the spotlight away from the trafficking of other wildlife species. Whereas great apes in the Central African sub-ergion region are severely poached for the bushmeat trade and other specialized illicit trade as was recently discovered.
    Operations carried out last year within the framework of the government’s effective wildlife law enforcement programme launched in 2003 demonstrated that besides the illegal bushmeat trade, there is an illicit and specialized trafficking in fresh ape skulls, heads and limbs. Although the trafficker who was arrested in Ambam had a mix of fresh and old skulls, observers say the huge number of skulls found in his possession raises many questions as to the reasons for this collection.
    The illicit trade in special ape parts is adding even more pressure to the populations of great apes that have been illegally hunted over the years for meat. Ape meat, poachers believe, can fetch bigger revenues because of the share size of the animals. A matured gorilla or silverback can weigh up to 180 kg  providing enough incentives to poachers and traffickers alike.