0:00:06 > 0:00:08Baby chimpanzees, just a few months old.
0:00:08 > 0:00:14Seized from the jungles of Africa to be sold as pets.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18It's a shocking and illegal trade.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Animals that are our closest relatives of the natural world
0:00:21 > 0:00:26are suffering terrible losses.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30To get one infant chimpanzees out of the jungle, all of the adults
0:00:30 > 0:00:32and its family have to be killed and as many
0:00:32 > 0:00:35as ten adults slaughtered.
0:00:35 > 0:00:42We infiltrate an animal smuggling network that spans the globe.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46During a year-long investigation we went undercover.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Two months?
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Are you still able to follow?
0:00:55 > 0:00:57We discovered that there is far more trafficking
0:00:57 > 0:01:01than the authorities suspect.
0:01:10 > 0:01:10is
0:01:10 > 0:01:15You may find some of the scenes in this film disturbing,
0:01:15 > 0:01:23as we reveal the secret trade in baby chimps.
0:01:34 > 0:01:45Our journey into an underworld of animal smuggling began in Cairo.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47For centuries, Egypt has been one of the world's
0:01:47 > 0:01:48great trading centres.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Ground floor.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Going up.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Posing as buyers and filming secretly, we found two dealers
0:01:55 > 0:02:01who said they could get us baby chimpanzees.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05They sent us videos of the animals they had ready.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10Pitiful sights of infants, recently captured and now destined
0:02:10 > 0:02:15to be pets or kept in private zoos in the Gulf states and Asia.
0:02:15 > 0:02:22Once they grow too big and strong...?
0:02:22 > 0:02:23that
0:02:23 > 0:02:23that they are
0:02:23 > 0:02:23that they are killed
0:02:23 > 0:02:24that they are killed or
0:02:24 > 0:02:25that they are killed or dumped.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30It was in Cairo that we learned how the smugglers operate.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33There is an international treaty to stop the trafficking of rare
0:02:33 > 0:02:39wildlife, but for the right money, you can obtain one
0:02:39 > 0:02:41of its official export permits.
0:02:41 > 0:02:51And one dealer claimed he could get hold of a permit allowing us
0:02:52 > 0:02:52to export chimps.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12We paid him a deposit and he checked it in his pet store.
0:03:12 > 0:03:26Publicly he deals in birds, secretly he was offering much more.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Two weeks later, we met him to collect the permit.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36And here it is.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39An official export document falsely filled in and illegally obtained.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42It seemed to be signed and stamped by an official
0:03:42 > 0:03:43in the government of Jordan.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And it shows our address which was fake, a basic internet
0:03:46 > 0:03:49search would have shown that.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52We asked Khalid about the chimpanzees themselves
0:03:52 > 0:03:57and what state they would be in when they reached our clients.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11What followed was a down payment for the chimps.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14The money came from a Swiss wildlife activist who campaigns
0:04:14 > 0:04:19against the trafficking of chimpanzees.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Price?
0:04:20 > 0:04:24$20,000 each.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26And these were the animals we were being offered.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Khalid told us they were ready for shipping, but then
0:04:28 > 0:04:29something went wrong.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34Khalid got nervous and the deal was suddenly off.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37He was worried about being exposed.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43We assumed that our investigation was dead.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02But we weren't going to give up, our focus shifted
0:05:02 > 0:05:07from the Middle East to West Africa, to Ivory Coast.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12One step closer to the source of the illegal trade.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15The Egyptian dealers had always said that the chimpanzees would be flown
0:05:15 > 0:05:16out of here.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18In the end that never happened.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Then, right here, we had a breakthrough.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30Our research led us to an animal trader.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34His Facebook page reveals a boastful personality.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37It turned out that he had been supplying the Egyptians we have
0:05:37 > 0:05:44been talking to.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45This is the box.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46You see.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52In a video he sent us, he shows a crate, specially designed
0:05:52 > 0:05:53for wildlife smuggling.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Animals that are allowed to be exported act as a cover
0:05:56 > 0:06:03for a chimpanzee hidden inside.
0:06:19 > 0:06:27He claimed that he could also get us the export permit.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30We were pretending to be an Indonesian pet trader
0:06:30 > 0:06:32called Alex.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48The dealer said he was based in Guinea but would meet
0:06:48 > 0:06:50us in Abidjan.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54He sent us pictures showing that he had chimpanzees.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Filmed secretly, he told our undercover colleague how
0:06:57 > 0:07:00he could provide us with chimps.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04We told him that we needed a permit first and he quickly got us one
0:07:04 > 0:07:08which was stamped National Parks of Liberia.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11He then told us what baby chimpanzees would cost and he showed
0:07:11 > 0:07:17us videos to prove that he could deliver.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07He handed over the permit he had obtained for us.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08Thank you.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11He made this look almost routine.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15This is where the meeting took place and where there is rather flimsy
0:08:15 > 0:08:17looking but important document was handed over.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22It is in effect a passport allowing us to export live chimpanzees.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25We should never have been able to get hold of it.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The whole point of the international permit system is to try and stop
0:08:28 > 0:08:32the trade in endangered animals but what this reveals is how easily
0:08:32 > 0:08:36you can get around that.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Getting the paperwork sorted was one thing,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47but then came an agonising wait for the deal itself.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Keeping watch for the next message and then...
0:09:12 > 0:09:16This video confirmed that he had a chimpanzee ready for export.
0:09:16 > 0:09:24The recording used our fake name and the correct date.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31He even showed his face on camera as he had in earlier videos,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36apparently not worried about incriminating himself.
0:09:36 > 0:09:43Our undercover team got ready to see the chimp for themselves.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49But we weren't going into this alone.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52We briefed Interpol and the police in Ivory Coast
0:09:52 > 0:09:56and they prepared a sting.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Our undercover journalist was going to meet him to see
0:10:02 > 0:10:07the animal before confirming the deal and we were following.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23We're now on our way and our undercover colleague
0:10:23 > 0:10:28is in a car in front of us and he is following the dealer
0:10:28 > 0:10:31in a taxi who is meant to be leading him to his house
0:10:31 > 0:10:33where the chimpanzees are.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37We are in convoy with the police and we are told it will be about 30
0:10:37 > 0:10:38minutes until we get there.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44This was the pivotal moment in the investigation
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and it was incredibly tense.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49If we got too close, we risked being seen.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But too far and we would lose them.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58A tracking device helped to guide us along a highway.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20A call from our undercover team ahead of us.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24We were leaving the highway and heading into a maze of dusty
0:11:24 > 0:11:28streets on the edge of Abidjan.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32We were obviously getting closer.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Using a hidden camera, our undercover colleague
0:11:45 > 0:11:48filmed his arrival at the dealer 's house and we were not far behind.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Our colleague took pictures.
0:12:16 > 0:12:25His story was that he needed to send proof to a wealthy
0:12:25 > 0:12:28buyer in Indonesia.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Then he pretended to ring his client.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43In fact, this was the signal for the police raid to begin.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Initially, there was confusion.
0:12:55 > 0:13:02The chimpanzee had been hidden.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06And everyone there denied knowing anything about it.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15And the dealer had also vanished.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Detectives charged through the neighbourhood.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34They called on local people to help.
0:13:34 > 0:13:45Minutes later, police got their man.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54They've got him.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03The dealer had been caught.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07One minute he had been discussing a deal that would have earned him
0:14:07 > 0:14:11tens of thousands of dollars, the next, he was under arrest.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18The police then focused on his family's house.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22They weren't taking any chances, everyone was ordered to the ground.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32And the search led them to a small room where they found a crate
0:14:32 > 0:14:35holding the chimpanzee.
0:14:45 > 0:14:52So the police had just made all of these arrests.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55It is pretty edgy here, the atmosphere, and it is all
0:14:55 > 0:14:57about this - a baby chimpanzee taken the jungle.
0:14:57 > 0:15:03The real tragedy of this trade is that to get one infant chimpanzee
0:15:03 > 0:15:07out of the jungle, all of the adults in its family have to be killed.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10That's as many as ten adults slaughtered just to get one chimp
0:15:10 > 0:15:13here ready for trade.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25We'd been advised not to touch the chimp until a vet
0:15:25 > 0:15:28had checked him.
0:15:28 > 0:15:34So for a few agonising moments, he was all alone.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48The police then made a major discovery.
0:15:48 > 0:15:56That this house was a key centre for chimpanzee trafficking.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58For years, when investigators have been looking for clues
0:15:58 > 0:16:01about smuggled chimpanzees, they had often seen these blue tiles
0:16:01 > 0:16:08in the background of the videos offered by the traders.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11This is it, what everyone calls the blue room,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14it is like a holding centre for animals on their way
0:16:14 > 0:16:17to be trafficked abroad.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27The chimpanzee was taken away, into the care of wildlife officials.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32A crowd gathered outside the house.
0:16:32 > 0:16:39The cops are getting worried.
0:16:39 > 0:16:39Many here were beginning to take the side of the men
0:16:39 > 0:16:48The atmosphere was becoming more tense.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50The police told us that we all had to go.
0:16:53 > 0:17:00In the back of a car, a baby chimp watched nervously.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04A new chapter in its short life was about to begin.
0:17:11 > 0:17:18At the Interpol headquarters in Abidjan, the questioning began.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20The dealer faced charges relating to wildlife trafficking.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24So did his uncle, Mohamed.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29The chimpanzee was yet again searching for reassurance.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36He clambered towards the only people he knew.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41The men who had been holding him captive.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44The police colonel in charge of the operation was clear about why
0:17:44 > 0:17:46the trafficking had to be stopped.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18The dealers' mobile phones, a potential treasure trove
0:18:18 > 0:18:20of information about how the smuggling worked
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and who was involved.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35After the raid, the action moved here to Lyon, in the south
0:18:35 > 0:18:42of France, and the headquarters of Interpol.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Those mobile phones and laptops were analysed and an investigation
0:18:44 > 0:18:50which had started into one dealer in one country suddenly broadened.
0:18:59 > 0:18:59His voice? Perfect.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04You have got him.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06The detectives quickly found evidence of global connections.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09From the hunters in the jungles, to the middleman, to corrupt
0:19:09 > 0:19:11officials and ultimately to the buyers.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13This was the starting point for dismantling
0:19:13 > 0:19:15an international criminal network.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17The BBC was given access to this material.
0:19:17 > 0:19:25It revealed a history of baby chimpanzees being kept in this small
0:19:25 > 0:19:31blue room, all heading for a life of captivity abroad.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34On the dealer's mobile phone, a video of a chimpanzee
0:19:34 > 0:19:39destined for China.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44The tiny animal can't have been more than a few weeks old.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46And on his computer, more CITES permits for chimps
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and other animals set to be traded between countries as distant
0:19:49 > 0:19:52as China and South Africa, Nepal and Congo.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57We put this to the head of the CITES convention.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01We showed him the two permits that we'd managed to get.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Surely, it shouldn't be so easy to get hold of the permits that
0:20:04 > 0:20:07allow you illegally to export animals, including chimpanzees?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Yes.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10So, people steal permits.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14People photocopy permits.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19If you think, we can, in 2016, people can make false currency.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Think of all of the security that goes around creating a British
0:20:23 > 0:20:27currency or a US currency.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29So these permits aren't secure then?
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Neither is anybody's currency, because people who are savvy can
0:20:33 > 0:20:36make counterfeits, they make counterfeit passports.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Isn't that admitting defeat in some way?
0:20:37 > 0:20:37Absolutely not.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40It's nputting it in context.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44That if people are criminally minded and they can see a profit
0:20:44 > 0:20:47in something, they will do what they can to manipulate that
0:20:47 > 0:20:51system to their advantage.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Whether it is a passport, a currency, drivers license
0:20:55 > 0:20:56or a CITES permit.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01Exploiting that weakness was the dealer.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04And it turns out that he comes from a family involved
0:21:04 > 0:21:05in animal trafficking.
0:21:05 > 0:21:15His brother operates from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
0:21:15 > 0:21:21He was named by CITES for illegally trading in endangered birds.
0:21:21 > 0:21:21And his father also seemed to be involved.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23His bank account was known to be used for payments,
0:21:23 > 0:21:24including ours, allowing the lucrative trafficking
0:21:24 > 0:21:28to continue.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31For Interpol, to tackle this is a massive undertaking.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And until now, governments have wanted it to focus on other
0:21:34 > 0:21:35threats to wildlife.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Like the smuggling of ivory and rhino horn.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42At the moment, chimpanzees are not a priority.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Without the funding, we cannot do anything.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50But what we're trying to become is more intelligence led so we start
0:21:50 > 0:21:53looking at what the threats are and what law
0:21:53 > 0:21:55enforcement needs to address in order to maintain
0:21:55 > 0:21:58a level of security.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01So, primates, unfortunately, our information holdings is not
0:22:01 > 0:22:02as strong as it could be.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Back in West Africa, after a bewildering day,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06the tiny chimp was hungry.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08But now safe at the zoo in Abidjan.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12The keepers named him.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21He was most relaxed when clinging to someone.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28A first look at a chimpanzee family.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Later, they may live together.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Or he will be found a home in a sanctuary.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39The material from our investigation has been given to the authorities.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44The dealer and his uncle are awaiting trial.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The trade will not be stopped overnight,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51but this one network at least is now out of action.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Hello, good morning.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Things are calming down a bit for this weekend.