Ransom demand for chimps

Three young chimpanzees have been snatched from a sanctuary in central Africa by a gang demanding a six-figure sum for their safe return.

Proof-of-life videos have been sent to the shelter in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, with the threat that the chimps will be harmed if demands are not met.

Franck Chantereau, founder of the Jack primate rehabilitation centre in Lubumbashi, where the chimps were seized at night almost a fortnight ago, said: “You can see how terrified they are.”

But he said no ransom would be paid, adding: “That would put all the world’s apes at greater risk than they already are.”

The chimps are orphans of the wildlife trafficking trade.