Bili, a western lowland gorilla, raced into the open after being released into an enclosure at Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the Republic of Congo. A human carer carried her into the forest, where she climbed trees and pushed through the undergrowth with striking energy.

The moment was not yet a return to the wild, but it brought Bili closer to her natural habitat than she had been since being taken from her home three years earlier. Her ordeal offers a glimpse into an illegal wildlife trade worth an estimated $20 billion annually.

Experts do not know whether Bili was born in Cameroon, Gabon or the Republic of Congo. They believe it is highly likely that many, if not all, of her family members were killed so traffickers could capture and sell her as an exotic pet.

Bili was only a few months old when the Nigeria Customs Services Special Wildlife Office intercepted her in Lagos in August 2023. An undercover operation conducted with Focused Conservation led to the arrest and conviction of two men for conspiracy, unlawful possession and the attempted sale of a gorilla.

Customs officials contacted Peter Jenkins, the American cofounder of the primate protection nonprofit Pandrillus. “They didn’t know what to do with her really, or how to care for her,” Jenkins recalled after receiving a photograph of the infant sitting alone on the floor.

Jenkins moved Bili to Drill Ranch, the Pandrillus wildlife rehabilitation center in Calabar, Cross River State. Primatologist Lindsay Maess recalled that the gorilla was sick and covered in a fungal infection, yet called her survival a miraculous case because “upwards of 80% of trafficked gorillas don’t survive.”

Trafficked infants lose access to their mother’s milk and its antibodies, along with natural foods that can help treat parasitic infections. Some become seriously ill, while others stop eating and collapse from emotional distress.

The depth of Bili’s trauma soon became clear. She screamed when she saw a box or cage and spent her first three months sleeping while clinging to Jenkins, who said she needed security and affection.

Bili later shared an enclosure with Brendan and Mili, two chimpanzees who had also been seized from traffickers. Maess said the outgoing chimpanzees helped Bili emerge from her shell, but Jenkins knew the rehabilitation center could not become her permanent home.

Danny Murphy, a technical adviser for Focused Conservation, said orphaned gorillas were once a byproduct of the bushmeat trade, while infants today are more likely to be targeted directly. The nonprofit investigates wildlife trafficking networks, including sales openly advertised online.

Nigeria is a key transit point for wildlife leaving Africa, Murphy said, with dead animal goods generally moving by ship and live animals by air. The country established the Nigeria Special Wildlife Office in 2021 as an investigative unit working with Focused Conservation.

Patricia Raxter, director of intelligence and analysis at United for Wildlife, said most buyers of baby gorillas appear to be in the Middle East and Asia. She described a major acceleration in the trade in great apes and said social media was helping drive the expanding exotic pet market.

Interpol estimates wildlife crime is worth $20 billion each year. During a global crackdown coordinated with the World Customs Organization between September 15 and October 15, 2025, authorities seized almost 30,000 live animals, including more than 200 primates.

The burden continues after an animal is seized. Zack Schwenneker, project manager at Drill Ranch, said milk alone can cost thousands of dollars during three years of caring for an infant gorilla, while large international enforcement grants do not cover care after confiscation.

Pandrillus cares for nearly 700 animals, and Nigeria’s rescue centers have reached maximum capacity, according to Maess. United for Wildlife helped coordinate Bili’s relocation with Pandrillus, Focused Conservation and government agencies in Nigeria and the Republic of Congo.

After weeks of preparation, Bili left Calabar on September 21 for a journey by road to Lagos lasting 20 hours. Two days later, DHL flew her to the Republic of Congo before she traveled overland to Tchimpounga, a Jane Goodall Institute rehabilitation center north of Pointe-Noire.

Dr. Rebeca Atencia, executive director of the Institute in the Republic of Congo and head veterinarian at the center, accompanied Bili. “Bili has adjusted very well,” she told CNN. “She has shown herself to be a very resilient young gorilla.”

After completing a quarantine lasting 40 days and passing health checks, Bili is expected to meet Mozambique, a younger female gorilla at the sanctuary. If their rehabilitation progresses well, both could eventually move to the 173,000 hectare Lesio-Louna Reserve and continue toward a possible life in the wild.