Plan to ship gorillas from DRC to Zimbabwe raises alarm

Matsito also raises the concern that the gorillas might bring with them the deadly Ebola virus. The DRC is currently in the grip of an outbreak of Ebola, which can be transmitted between apes and humans. “How and who will test the gorillas, using which equipment, when our health sector is this dilapidated and run down?” he asks.

Some observers have raised questions about whether the animals will even end up in Zimbabwe. Zimparks has a history of sending wildlife, notably elephants, to China for display in zoos and parks.