Two chimpanzees confiscated in Qatar

In early September 2000 two baby chimpanzees arrived at Doha Airport, Qatar. The smuggler had hidden the babies in a cylindrical container inside a carton carrying a shipment of exotic birds. Officials at Doha Airport noticed that the cylinder was swaying and checked the contents. They found two sickly, starving baby chimpanzees inside.

The shipment was consigned to a Doha pet shop. The owner produced a letter from Qatar's Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. This letter allowed the import of some "grey monkeys." The dealer told the press that he was importing the chimpanzees for Doha Zoo. However, Doha Zoo authorities denied having ordered the chimpanzees.

Zoo official Ali Hussain told the Peninsula, a Doha newspaper, that:

We have our own procedures in tune with national policies, laws and egulations, and international conventions. We don't buy or accept animals from anyone just like that.

According to the Peninsula, the baby chimpanzees had spent a week at Doha Airport. During this time the pet shop owner, at the request of the government, was reportedly taking care of the "cargo." Pet store employees were sent twice a day to feed and clean the babies. IPPL has learned that the animals were later sent to the Doha Zoo for care.

The airline that carried the chimpanzees was Egyptair. The chimpanzees reached Doha on a flight from Cairo, and may have originated from Kano or Lagos Airport in Nigeria.

Animal lovers in Qatar are working to arrange for the confiscated chimpanzees to be sent to Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Chingola, Zambia. IPPL has offered assistance with the costs of repatriating the animals.