A charter plane that was to transport more than 400 monkeys and other animals to Armenia was confiscated in Tanzania in 2016, reports The Citizen, a Tanzanian newspaper.
A Hetq investigation into the illegal pet trade in Armenia led to criminal charges against Artur Khachatryan.
Artur Khachatryan from Armenia, who was wanted by Interpol for the trade with endangered animals, should continue to be able to bring animals unhindered to Armenia. Khachatryan is the owner of Zoo Fauna Art, a company that has imported numerous rare animals to Armenia to ship them to Russia. In the summer of 2015, he imported a large group of monkeys into Armenia. Khachatryan imported 60 Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), which are on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. They came from Tanzania via Beirut to Armenia.
The animals of "Zoo Fauna Art" were simply left to their fate.
The fact is that such a zoo was located in Gyumri, the capital of Shirak province, about 126 km from Yerevan (the capital of the country). And the state of Armenia did nothing about it either. It is well known that the zoo was owned by Artur Khachatryan, an Armenian oligarch who was sought by Interpol and disappeared without a trace.
A group of Armenian volunteers, together with an elderly couple, have made great efforts to ensure that animals do not suffer from cold, hunger and lack of care. She even set up a Facebook group.