Kampala — A BABY chimpanzee believed to be less than two-years-old has been impounded, two weeks after a suspected trafficker in Hoima was reportedly looking for chimps to buy at sh2m each.

"We got reports that someone came with sh2m in need of a chimpanzee, dead or alive," Debbie Cox, the executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute-Uganda, told The New Vision during an interview in Kampala on Monday.

Over the last six months, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has been tracking a group of suspected dealers in animal body parts that are reportedly exported.

"We reacted to a tip-off from Hoima residents," said Cox. "According to the law, it is illegal to hold chimps in captivity."

Cox said the Police mounted an operation that recovered the frightened chimp curled in the corner of one of the rooms in the suspect's house.

The two suspects are being held at Hoima Police Station.

The arresting officer on Wednesday said the suspects would be charged as the Police investigates more people implicated in the illegal chimp trade.