Guest guest Posted December 3, 2002 Report Share Posted December 3, 2002 > http://www.dailytimesofnigeria.com/DailyTimes/2002/December/2/Gorillasaga.as > p > > Gorilla saga: When immaculate conception does not apply (II) > Ime T. Okopido > > An official introduction from the Malaysian Deputy High Commissioner in > Lagos for Mr. Suffian Suppiah Bin Abdullah to " acquire and transport five > (5) heads of Western Gorilla babies from the University of Ibadan Zoological > Gardens... to Taiping Zoo... It would be highly appreciated if the relevant > authorities in Nigeria could provide their assistance and cooperation... > > This collusion by high-rankiong officials in both governments is > unpatriotic, very damaging to the reputations of both countries and damaging > to an endangered species that they are employed to protect. > > It is important to realise that young gorillas are so sensitive to the > stress of capture that even in experienced hands, 80 per cent rescued > orphans die. Thus to provide four living infants, at least 16 infants > probably die. > > And for each of these captured orhpans, at least two members of their family > will have been shot (the mother, the father, and any other group member who > attempts to defend them) - thus at a conservative estimate, for four > wild-caught infants to be in a zoo, 56 gorillas have died, and a total of 60 > have been removed from the wild population. > > When the legality of the shipment was questioned, the Malaysian authorities > withdrew their permit for two more gorillas. But I wish to ask - when > representives of Taiping Zoo visited Ibadan Zoo, as part of their so-called > " routine zoo animal exchange programme " did they not ask how one elderly, > lone, female gorilla produced four offsprings between two and four years of > age between the time period of the exchange programme? Did they not ask to > see their parents? Or where these animals were born? These, I think, are the > basic questions to be asked before issuing a CITES permit. > > With such a rare, endangered and high-profile species, to proceed without > answers to these questions, is tantamount to criminal neglect. > > What next for the gorillas involved? The first priority is to analyse > samples from the four gorillas in Malaysia. Professor Michael Bruford of > Cardiff University, UK, has offered to do the analysis, and compared results > with his databank of gorilla DNA. This will determine the sub-species, and > possibly even the aera of origin of each infant. All he requires is a few > hairs, with roots, from each gorilla (easily collected by sticking > double-sided sticky tape where the animals brush past, and snipping the > roots into a clean labelled envelope or even a faecal sample would do. > > Nigeria concours with UNEP's GrASP Technical Team and other conservationists > who recommend that the procedure for confiscated great apes should be to > send them to the nearest, government approved facility to their area of > origin, but recommends that this decision should be based on science or > irrefutable evidence. > > It is my candid appeal that the four gorillas be returned to their country > of origin in Africa. Sending them to a zoo in another country sends a > message that wild-caught gorillas can still enter foreign zoos, and those > zoos will benefit from their arrival. > > The conservation education value of captive gorillas is most needed in their > country of origin. Returning confiscated animals to their country of origin > sends a message to potential buyers that they will lose money if they risk > such illegal deals. > > To prevent such illegal shipments in future, CITES Management Authorities, > must take steps to verify claim of capitve bred Appendix I specimens, > seeking advice when necessary from the wide pool of exerience in the CITES > Secretariat, UNEP Great Ape Survival Project and the NGO community. > > I wish to appeal to the CITES Secretariat in Switzerland and any other > concerned, to support Nigeria in capacity building, and to help finance the > deployment of CITES Enforcement officers to the border posts, air and sea > pots of Nigeria. Nigeria has a large land mass with more than 870 kilometres > of coastline. > > Concluded > > Okopido is Honourable Minister of Environment (State) > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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