Orphaned chimpanzees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

An 18-month study of remote human settlements deep in the Congolese jungle warns that chimpanzees are are being subjected to a 'wave of killing' by hunters pursuing them for bushmeat.

One consequence is the continual growth in the number of 'bushmeat orphans' - those infants who are too small to be killed for meat, and are often put on the black market for sale as pets.

These pictures tell the story of just a few orphaned Eastern chimpanzees that researchers encountered.