Sebit Woodman • 21 minutes ago • 2 min read
A chimpanzee kept at a private residence in Yambio, Western Equatoria State, has attacked several people, including a five-month-old baby who is reportedly in critical condition, the state’s wildlife director says.
Joseph Duop Deng, the Director of Wildlife Services in Western Equatoria State, said he received a report about the incident from one of his officers at about 10:00 on Thursday.
He said the chimpanzee was being kept at a private home when it attacked the victims. The condition of the other injured people was not immediately clear.
Deng said the animal’s owner, who was in Juba at the time, contacted him at about 14:00 to explain what had happened. The owner’s wife was reportedly in Yambio.
The wildlife director said he had not been informed that a chimpanzee was being kept at the residence and warned against keeping wild animals in private homes.
“I told him I was not informed that there was a chimpanzee at home. Wild animals are supposed to be kept in the park. You have no right to keep a wild animal at home; it is supposed to be in the park,” Deng said.
He recalled a similar incident last year involving another resident who kept a chimpanzee at home.
Deng said he intervened and took the animal to a wildlife park, but it later returned to the residence and had to be taken back again.
The latest incident has raised renewed concerns about the risks of keeping wild animals in residential areas and the enforcement of wildlife regulations.
Details about the victims’ treatment and whether authorities have taken further action following the attack were not immediately available.