Turkey’s decision to retain an African baby gorilla rescued from trafficking has drawn sharp criticism from a Nigerian conservation NGO that had been preparing to receive the primate for repatriation.
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The five-month-old gorilla, named Zeytin, was discovered at Istanbul airport in a wooden crate just before Christmas, en route from Nigeria to Thailand. He was taken to a zoo in the hills outside Istanbul to recover.
Nigeria had requested Zeytin’s repatriation, and Turkish conservation authorities initially began the process. However, the effort was halted after a DNA test revealed that Zeytin belonged to a gorilla subspecies not native to Nigeria. On Friday, Turkish officials announced that Zeytin would remain in a Turkish zoo rather than being returned to Nigeria.
The Pandrillus Foundation, which had planned to house Zeytin alongside another young gorilla of the same subspecies before sending the pair to a sanctuary in central Africa, expressed disappointment at the decision.
“We are exceedingly disappointed. There is no logic in what the Turkish government is doing,” said Liza Gadsby, director of the Pandrillus Foundation. “And if Turkey doesn’t want to send him to Nigeria, but directly to a gorilla sanctuary, that’s fine. But they need to do the right thing for this animal.”
Gadsby praised Turkish authorities for confiscating Zeytin but criticised their decision to keep him, saying it contravened the principles of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Turkey is a signatory.
The Pandrillus Foundation also has another gorilla, confiscated by Nigerian customs over two years ago, which it plans to repatriate to its natural habitat. “We never intended to keep her,” Gadsby said, noting that the organization would begin the repatriation process on Monday.
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