Shocking Attack Shakes Community
In a tragic and unprecedented incident, a chimpanzee renowned for its intelligence and tool-using abilities has killed an eight-month-old baby girl in Guinea. The baby, Yoh Hélène, was snatched from her mother’s arms and brutally butchered, with reports suggesting that the chimp used tools to maim and harvest the infant’s organs.
The horrifying incident
The attack occurred near the Nimba Mountains Nature Reserve in Bossou, Guinea, while the mother, Seny Zogba, was working in a nearby cassava field. Witnesses say that the chimpanzee, named Jeje, attacked Zogba, sinking its teeth into her arm, forcing her to release her grip on her daughter. Jeje then made off with the child, carrying out the grisly act.
The baby’s lifeless body was discovered three kilometers from the nature reserve, leaving the local community in shock and fear.
Anger erupts at research institute
Following the heartbreaking discovery, an enraged mob gathered and marched to the Bossou Environmental Research Institute, which has long been involved in studying the chimpanzee population in the area. They carried the baby’s body to the institute and expressed their outrage by ransacking the building. Equipment, computers, drones, and more than 200 documents were destroyed or set on fire in the ensuing chaos, as confirmed by the institute’s managers.
Chief researcher Gen Yamakoshi, who has been studying the behavior of chimps in the area for decades, spoke to The Times, issuing a stark warning: the attack may have been fueled by the fact that these chimps “no longer fear humans.” This revelation has raised concerns about the changing dynamic between humans and wildlife in the region, where the chimps have coexisted with local communities for years.
Decades of research and conservation threatened
The Bossou Environmental Research Institute has been a key player in observing and conserving the chimpanzees of Bossou for decades. However, this incident, combined with the violent backlash from the community, threatens the continuation of their research and conservation efforts.
As the investigation into the attack continues, experts and local authorities are left grappling with the unsettling questions about what led to this rare and violent encounter, and how to prevent such tragedies in the future.