A baby chimpanzee was flown to safety on the lap of a pilot after being orphaned by suspected poachers.
Andrew Caere, an anti-poaching pilot, flew Mussa the chimp from where he had been rescued in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He is now being cared for at the Lwiro Primates centre, a chimpanzee and monkey rehabilitation centre in South Kivu.
The clip shows the little chimp hopping on to the empty seat next to the pilot before ending up on Caere’s lap.
At one point, Mussa can be seen cheekily reaching out for the plane’s controls.
According to officials at the centre, he was found living with an expat who also had two crocodiles in his home.
The officials suspect Mussa’s family were killed for bush meat, and the baby chimp was probably sold on for between 20 and 50 US dollars (£14-£36).
They do not know whether Mussa’s owner was keeping the chimp as a pet or planning to sell him, but the illegal trafficking of chimps to Asia and the Middle East can make sellers thousands of dollars.
Mussa will now live with other chimps and monkeys at the centre.
