Baby gorilla on black market for $40,000 is rescued (Warning: This photo will break your heart)

[joeybee12]

The black market for baby gorillas is growing, officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Tuesday, after a fourth incident this year led to the arrest of alleged poachers trying to sell one infant for $40,000.

This year marks "the highest number of baby gorillas confiscated from poachers in a single year on record," the Congolese Wildlife Authority said in a statement.

"We are very concerned about a growing market for baby gorillas that is feeding a dangerous trafficking activity in rebel controlled areas," said Emmanuel de Merode, warden of Congo's Virunga National Park. "We are powerless to control the international trade in baby gorillas, but our rangers are doing everything they can to stamp it out on the ground."

The park, Africa's oldest, is home to mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and buffalo. The park has also seen fighting inside its borders and nearby during an ongoing 12-year civil war

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44859150/ns/world_news-world_environment/

[dkf]

1. What do you do with a baby gorilla anyway?

Weird.

[joeybee12]

5. Rich assholes and their private collections...did I mention that these rich people

are assholes?

[uppityperson]

2. In order to kidnap a baby, several adults usually get killed since they are so protective

I understand the appeal of making money in such a poor place, but they can make more money, overall, on the tourism than selling/killing.

[joeybee12]

4. I know...and Mom must have been killed...the poor little guy has

experienced that trauma and then taken...bastards.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Damn. Someone protect them please.

[joeybee12]

6. Yup...poor things...nt

[Uncle Joe]

7. Kicked and recommended.

:-(

Thanks for the thread, joeybee.

[joeybee12]

8. Any time...

I want to reach through and hug that poor little guy!

[lunatica]

9. This is what happens when people are left to fend for themselves in poverty

they become animals after a while. They end up doing things that are horrendous. If you want to see how low humanity can go just look at those countries in Africa which have been destroyed by civil wars where child soldiers are forced to kill and destroyed by famine.

And that can happen anywhere given enough time. Even here.

[joeybee12]

10. If you read the article, they never find the actual buyers, who they assume

are rich assholes with private collections...capital punishment for the likes of them, I say...they're exploiting the people and the animals.

[lunatica]

11. Well of course they can't find them

They would probably get killed if they did.

[Defectata]

12. the black market trade is beyond barbaric

often they hack off the hands of the mother in order to get to the infant, and leave the mother to bleed to death.