Fw: primfocus: Johannesburg Star's story on Taiping Four gorillas

[Guest guest]

Already " history " is being re-written ... sigh.

 

-

" Shirley McGreal " <smcgreal

<primfocus

Monday, December 08, 2003 10:55 PM

primfocus: Johannesburg Star's story on Taiping Four gorillas

 

 

> Note that the article fails to mention that the gorillas' smuggling

> itinerary took them via South Africa to Malaysia, or that the animals were

> flown by South African Airways, or that the South African Government had

> issued permits to allow their passage through the country.

>

> http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129 & fArticleId=298911

>

> Rare gorillas heading for Pretoria Zoo

>

> By Melanie-Ann Feris

>

> New residents are swinging their way the Pretoria Zoo. The animal home is

> to get four western lowland gorillas from Malaysia.

>

> It is suspected that the four youngsters, dubbed the Taiping Four, were

> orphaned when their parents were killed for bushmeat in Cameroon. They

were

> later flown out of Nigeria's Lagos airport to the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia

> in 2001.

>

> The rare gorillas were apparently sent to Malaysia on an exchange

programme

> between the zoological gardens of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and

> the Taiping Zoo.

>

> According to the International Primate Protection League (IPPL), they were

> tipped off when the animals had arrived in Malaysia and told they had

> arrived from Nigeria. The organisation contacted Malaysia's wildlife

> department, who confirmed that a male and three females had been imported.

>

> But on hearing about the dubious origin of the animals, a permit issued to

> the zoo to import two more gorillas was cancelled.

>

> The IPPL received documents confirming the animals were exported on what

> appeared to be authentic export documents by the Ibadan Zoo. The permits

> described the gorillas as having been captive-born in the zoo.

>

> But the organisation learned that the zoo has only one elderly female

> gorilla - the male died several years ago.

>

> Zoo employees later said the gorillas had come from Cameroon. Gorillas are

> listed on appendix 1 of the Convention on the International Trade in

> Endangered Species, which bans commercial trade in the primates.

>

> When it was discovered that the gorillas had been exported under dubious

> means, Malaysian authorities indicated that the animals would be

confiscated.

>

> Both Nigeria and Cameroon had indicated they would be prepared to take

back

> the animals.

>

> Andile Ncotsa, deputy chairperson of the National Zoological Gardens, said

> that when the animals became available, they applied to Malaysia to

> consider Pretoria Zoo as their home.

>

> The zoo has one gorilla, and it is hoped the four will eventually breed.

>

> Ncotsa said there were between 200 and 250 western lowland gorillas left

in

> the world. The Taiping Four are expected to arrive in South Africa within

> the next few weeks.

>

> But not everyone is happy that the gorillas will be sent to SA.

>

> The IPPL, who wanted the animals returned to Cameroon or Nigeria,

expressed

> their doubts that Pretoria Zoo was the perfect place for them to go, as

> three of the zoo's four gorillas had died. Two babies born at the zoo had

> also died before reaching the age of one month.

>

> Published on the web by the Star on December 3, 2003.

>

> © Star 2003. All rights reserved.

>

>