PHOTO: Little girl in hospital after the attack
A three-year-old girl has become a victim of Chimpanzee attack in the town of Gbor Korsin, Liberia’s southeastern Nimba County, sparking fear in citizens of the area.
Reports gathered by www.newspublictrust.com say the child was attacked on Monday afternoon of August 2, 2021, making it the second incident of such sine last year.
The father of the victim, Edwin Saye said the attack happened at about 12:45 Pm when his daughter and her grandmother were working on their farm.
“My daughter and two other children were on the farm playing when they saw the animal rushing from the bush. The other kids who are older than my daughter managed to escape, but my daughter could not because of her age. That’s was how the chimpanzee caught her, beat on her unmercifully leaving her leg severely injured,” Mr. Saye explained.
The victim’s father disclosed that the girl is seeking medical care at the Health Center in Saclepea City, but he is calling for help from the Liberian government and humanitarian organizations.
Mr. Saye wants the Liberian government through the Forestry Development Authority to put in place measures that will prevent the constant chimpanzee attacks in the region.
He threatened that if the government fails to urgently move in and settle the medical expenses of his daughter, residents of the region will be mobilized to hunt down the chimpanzees that have been causing them havoc.
He recalled that in April of this year, a little child was allegedly raped by chimpanzee in Torkopa town and the case was taken to the FDA, but nothing was done to remedy the situation.
“Government asked us to protect those animals, but the manner in which my child was treated, if the government cannot do anything about it we go after the animal,” he said in a rather angry tone.
A research conducted by Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leizip, Germany revealed that Liberia is the home to the second largest chimpanzee population in West Africa.
In Liberia, chimpanzee and other wild animals are protected under the National Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management Law of Liberia, the report says.
Section 11.2(d) of this law imposes a fine of US$250-$5,000 or four to six months imprisonment on anyone who kills or destroys a wildlife including chimpanzee without license or permit. Report by Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com