Chimpanzee kidnaps and kills baby in violent attack

A wild chimpanzee has reportedly ripped a baby from her mother’s arms before butchering her in a “violent” killing. WARNING: Graphic

Warning: Graphic

A chimpanzee has ripped a baby from her mother’s arms and killed her in a “violent” attack.

The famous tool-using primate reportedly took her into the forest and “butchered” her before “harvesting her organs”.

Distressed mother Seny Zogba was working in a cassava field in Bossou, Guinea, when the chimp bit her and took off with her eight-month-old baby girl, Yoh Hélène.

Tragically, the baby’s mutilated body was discovered 3km from the Nimba Mountains Nature Reserve, with witnesses claiming she had been “disembowelled” in the attack.

Locals fear the chimp may have used his tools to maim her. The animals in this area are known for using stone hammers and anvils to crack open nuts and other food.

The chimps in the village are reportedly "not scared of humans". Picture: iStock

Chief researcher Gen Yamakoshi eerily said that the killing was likely because the chimps “no longer fear humans”.

“It is not clear if the accidents are as a result of food or excitement,” he told The Times.

“It is similar behaviour to how chimps treat one another. If they are excited they cannot control their behaviour.”

An enraged mob directed their anger towards a group of scientists who have been studying the small chimp community for decades by bringing the baby’s corpse to their Bossou Environmental Research Institute.

The mob ransacked the building, destroying and setting fire to drones, computers and over 200 documents, the centre’s managers revealed.

According to one local, it was “the way she was killed” that has ignited anger in the local community.

Local ecologist Alidjiou Sylla suggested that the dwindling supply of food in the chimp’s habitat was likely pushing the animals to leave the area more often, increasing the likelihood of attacks against humans.

The primates in the area reportedly know how to use tools. Picture: UICN

There have reportedly been six recorded chimpanzee attacks against humans within the reserve since the start of the year.

A local youth leader Moussa Joya said that while chimpanzees are not usually violent it has “become a habit” for this particular population.

There are just seven chimps left in Guinea’s Bossou forest, which forms part of the Nimba Mountains Nature Reserve, and is next to farming communities of the Nzerekore Region.

The oldest member of the chimpanzee tribe, Fana, died in 2022 aged 71 and left behind her two sons, Foaf and Fanwa.

The tiny community is reportedly very sophisticated and are even able to use tools.

While they live in the wild, they share the land with the locals who protect them, believing them to be reincarnated ancestors.

Chimps are highly respected in Guinea and are traditionally given gifts in the form of food, prompting some to venture out of the protected area and into human settlements.

Bossou elder Michael Gamada Koïba said the locals are now not sure “what kind of chimpanzees they are” after the grisly fatality.

Bossou is home to a small community of chimps. Picture: iStock

Up until 2003, the Bossou chimp community had around 21 members, but it lost 7 animals due to a flu outbreak that year.

Many have also died due to human activities such as mining, as Guinea is home to a large iron ore reserve.

Another attack

In 2022, a baby boy in Tanzania was killed by a gang of monkeys who snatched him from his mum while she was breastfeeding him.

The one-month-old was with his mother outside the family’s home when the horror unfolded.

Mother Shayima Said began screaming in terror as the monkeys made off with little Luhaiba in the Mwamgongo village.

Kigoma regional police commander James Manyama confirmed the details of the incident.

“The child was with his mother outside their house when a troop of monkeys invaded the house and took him,” said the officer.

Chimpanzees have been known to kill humans. Picture: iStock

“She screamed for help and villagers rushed to her house to assist her in getting her child – identified as Luhaiba Said - back from the troop of monkeys.”

Villagers managed to track down the monkeys and tried to free Luhaiba from them during the horror incident.

“When the villagers came it was too late because the baby was already in the hands of monkeys and when they tried to take him back by force he got injured on the head and the neck,” Manyama said.

Luhaiba was eventually freed but sadly died in hospital later while being treated for his injuries, the police commander added.

He revealed that similar incidents were “not uncommon” in villages which are close to Gombe National Park.

Originally published as Chimpanzee kidnaps and kills baby in violent attack