Life at a DR Congo Ape sanctuary;ape's being bought for $55

Claudine Andre, a 67-year-old Belgian living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has spent the last 20 years dedicated to the protection of the bonobo, an extraordinary species of ape threatened by trafficking and poachers.

Walking out of the environment ministry in Kinshasa after lodging a request to rescue an infant ape on display at a local bar, she is visibly worried.

"We must go tomorrow," she frets. "I've seen photos - he's not three years old yet, he's just a few dozen centimetres in height, his nose is running. He's going to die."

To make sure the operation goes off without a hitch -- and for her own personal safety -- she will not be going herself.

The tyres on her car have already been slashed twice. But that's not enough to bother "Madame Claudine" as she is known here.

She has lived in the Congo for almost all of her life, having arrived when she was just four. A married mother of five, she set up her sanctuary, "Lolo ya bonobo" or "bonobo heaven", in 1993.

At her 35 hectare conservation area outside the capital she saves these remarkable animals from the clutches of the illegal animal trade.

Trafficking in bonobos is a lucrative business. According to Andre an infant bought for 50.000 Congolese francs ($55) can be resold for as much as $15.000 on the internet.

Read more from source: bangkokpost.com