A chimpanzee, known for its tool-using skills, snatched an eight-month-old girl named Yoh Hélène from her mother, Seny Zogba, while she was working in a cassava field in Bossou, Guinea.
The chimp took the baby into the forest, where witnesses believe it butchered her and harvested her organs, leaving her body found three kilometers from the Nimba Mountains Nature Reserve.
Chief researcher Gen Yamakoshi stated that the brutal killing highlights the alarming trend of chimps losing their fear of humans. In response, an angry mob targeted the Bossou Environmental Research Institute, where scientists have studied the chimp community for decades. They vandalized the facility, setting fire to equipment and destroying over 200 documents.
Local youth leader Joseph Doré expressed that the nature of the child’s death fueled the community’s outrage. Ecologist Alidjiou Sylla noted that diminishing food supplies in the reserve are driving chimps to venture into human areas more frequently, raising the risk of attacks. The research center reported six such incidents this year alone.
Moussa Koya, another youth leader, pointed out that while the chimps’ violent behavior may not be intentional, it has become a recurring issue. Yamakoshi remarked that the motivations behind these attacks might stem from food scarcity or heightened excitement, similar to how chimps behave with each other.
In 2022, Fana, the oldest member of the chimp community, passed away at 71, leaving two sons, Foaf and Fanwa. This small group of apes uses stone hammers and anvils to crack nuts, demonstrating remarkable intelligence.
Traditionally respected and viewed as reincarnated ancestors, the chimps coexist with locals who often provide food offerings. However, following the tragedy, elder Michael Gamada Koïba expressed uncertainty about the nature of the chimps, leaving the community feeling unsettled.
