Guest guest Posted January 11, 2004 Report Share Posted January 11, 2004 - " Shirley McGreal " <smcgreal <primfocus Sunday, January 11, 2004 10:06 AM primfocus: Cameroon press covers gorilla scandal > From the Cameroon Tribune > > Monday 29-30 December 2003 > > Malaysian government under fire to return confiscated gorillas to Limbe > botanical gardens > > By Kongnyui Roland in Yaunde > > The Malaysian ministry of science, technology and environment has come under > fire to return four confiscated baby gorillas to the Limbe botanical and > zoological gardens and not to Pretoria Zoo in South Africa as planned. > > The executive director of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, > Marcelle Meredith and Canadian Primate Rescues Jean Martin are on a global > campaign for the gorillas to be sent to Cameroon. > > In a world wide press statement posted on the internet on 26 December, > Meredith who doubles as executive director of the South African Council of > the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals, NSPCA, called for the > gorillas, globally known as the Taiping Four, to be sent back to the country > of origin, Cameroon, saying the Pretoria Zoo (against which the NSPCA > recently laid criminal charges) has a bad record in caring for gorillas. > > " Furthermore, the facility at the Pretoria Zoo for these gorillas is > currently being built but is not complete,said Meredith in the statement. > She added that South Africa had no native gorillas and that the NSPCA > believed the gorillas should go back where they belong. > > " The NSPCA was saddened to receive confirmation in a communication from > Sonja Meintjes, who is the assistant director of trade and regulation, > Office of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species > (CITES) Management Authority, South Africa, " she noted. > > (Malaysia is a signatory of the CITES agreement.) " The CITES letter said > that they are happy that Malaysia has taken the recommendation into account > before they made their decision to send the animals to Pretoria Zoo, " she > said. > > She state further that the NSPCA was far from happy and had issued copies of > the letter they sent to Malaysia's Wildlife Department Chief, Musa Nordin to > the media as well as South Africa's role-players, including Meintjes. > > " The NSPCA formally appeals to the Malaysian government to pay heed to our > calls for sense and compassion to prevail, " she said. > > Meanwhile, Jean Martin who had been following the Taiping Four saga, is > quoted to have been sickened that the government of Malaysia has decided > that the gorillas should go to South Africa. > > Besides echoing Meredith's sentiments, Martin's vote to send the gorillas to > Cameroon's Limbe Wildlife Centre was based on its impressive track record. > > " Limbe cares for a thriving healthy gorilla group used as the core animals > for an educational programme to teach the people of Cameroon to cherish > animals, " he said. > > From his understanding, Martin disclosed an official of the government of > South Africa made a telephone call to the CITES Secretariat claiming that > the government of Cameroon had agreed that the gorillas should go to South > Africa. > > " The Cameroonian official who reportedly made this agreement, however, has > repeatedly denied making such concession, " he noted. > > He added that it was possible that an unclear telephone line caused the > South African official to believe that Cameroon was happy about the gorillas > going to Pretoria. > > " In any case, a report of a telephone call does not have any legal > significance in the absence of legally binding documents, " he said. > " It is not fair to Cameroon that official inter-governmental requests from > its minister of the environment, Tanyi Mbianyor and other officials charged > with wildlife protection, should be ignored. " > > On August 27 this year, Mbianyor had written to Malaysia's Minister of > science, technology and environment Datuk Seri Law Hieng Dieng, urging that > the gorillas be sent to their native land and not the Pretoria Zoo as had > been initially agreed. > > The issue of the Taiping Four became world-famous after they were discovered > to have been illegally brought into Malaysia for the Taiping Zoo. > > Many conservationist groups have called on the Malaysian government to > reconsider sending the primates to the zoo in Pretoria and had recommended > Limbe instead where the gorillas have a chance for survival. > > > > Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League > POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA > Phone: 843-871-2280 Fax: 843-871-7988 > E-mail: smcgreal, web: www.ippl.org > Visit IPPL's award-winning web site: <http://www.ippl.org> > > " Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life. " > Confucius, 551-479 BC > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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