Wildlife fleeing war

Wild animals are reportedly migrating to neighbouring Uganda to flee the ongoing fighting in eastern DRC, the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported on Wednesday. It quoted official sources as saying a large number of chimpanzees were also either being killed by poachers or smuggled into Uganda. The agency said Ugandan officials had so far intercepted nine wounded baby chimps smuggled into the country. "Almost 70 percent of them are intercepted by the Uganda wildlife authority, customs and the Uganda police," RNA quoted the project director of Chimps Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Debbie Cox, as saying. "Among the animals migrating are rhinos, elephants and the antelopes." RNA said that the Congolese who fear war and cannot work on their farms, have also taken part in hunting these animals for food. According to Cox, elephant meat has reached US $20 a kilo in the DRC.