07/03/2017|Emma Farge| Full article at http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN16E0MW
DAKAR (Reuters) - Guinean authorities on Monday arrested a senior member of a wildlife trafficking network accused of selling thousands of live animals including endangered chimpanzees for over 30 years, according to a law enforcement NGO.
Former French colony Guinea is a major wildlife trafficking hub in West Africa with ivory, skins and shark fins, as well as live mammals regularly sold internationally by criminal groups.
Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement (EAGLE) first began tracking Abdoul Salam Sidibé in 2013 when they learned he was seeking to sell a live manatee, a species classified as vulnerable, for about $50,000.
Since then, he has allegedly been involved in the sale of dozens of chimpanzees as well as rare birds and parrots, sometimes with the help of Guinea's former wildlife director.