2-year-old gorilla rescued in Congo

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, April 28 (UPI) -- A young gorilla hidden in a bag was rescued from a suspected trafficker as he got off a plane, officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said Tuesday.

Officials at Virunga National Park said the gorilla, a female, appeared to be about 2 years old, CNN reported. It had been buried in clothes to conceal it.

The primate, which had been concealed in the bag for at least six hours, was overheated and dehydrated, park officials said. It had several injuries, including a wound on the right leg, and was underfed.

The gorilla is being treated.

The suspect had been in the interior of the Congo near the gorillas' wild habitat. Gorillas can bring as much as $20,000 on the black market.

Virunga National Park, which borders similar parks in Uganda and Rwanda, is one of the last outposts of the mountain gorilla.