Chained up and injured Police free chimpanzees from illegal keeping in Sicily
A young chimpanzee illegally smuggled from Malta to Sicily was rescued by police in poor condition and chained up in an apartment near Syracuse. The injured animal is now receiving medical treatment at Rome Zoo
22.11.2025, 11:01
SDA
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- Police in Sicily have freed a chained and injured young chimpanzee from illegal keeping.
- The animal had apparently been smuggled to Italy from Malta and is now being rehabilitated at Rome Zoo.
- During the search, the officers also found an illegally kept parrot.
Italian police on the Mediterranean island of Sicily have rescued a young chimpanzee from a badly neglected enclosure. The animal was chained up, injured and kept behind bars in a dark enclosure, according to the Carabinieri. The owner of the chimpanzee had probably brought it illegally from Malta to Italy and kept it in his home.
The animal is estimated to be around three years old. It was tied to a chain about two meters long. The emergency services discovered a serious injury near the chimpanzee's groin. The animal was initially taken to Rome Zoo, where specialists are now trying to slowly rehabilitate the ape. According to the Carabinieri, a later release into the wild is hardly possible.
During the search of the apartment not far from Syracuse, the police also discovered an illegally kept parrot. According to experts, the illegal trade in exotic animals is a lucrative business for traders. This not only promotes the suffering of individual animals, but also poses a major threat to global biodiversity.
