primfocus: Cameroon press covers gorilla scandal

[Guest guest]

Good question, Jill, and one we've been questioning from day 1 ...

 

It seems it's assumed no one's guilty of any crimes, since there have been

no charges and the people in charge of investigating these crimes,

ironically and conveniently, are the same ones who might be guilty!!

 

According to policy of CITES, as I understand it, CITES in the country of

confiscation (in this case, Malaysia) are the ones who decide the fate of

the confiscated " specimens " ...

 

I'm not sure who investigates CITES for any illegal or unusual activities -

Interpol? But from my years now, looking into this, it's my personal

impression that there's a big boy network with everyone covering each

others' tush and only the outcry and public condemnation will " shame " them

into doing the right thing by these gorillas, not " specimens. "

 

The fact that someone in CITES in either Nigeria, South Africa and/or

Malaysia may be involved somehow - either by turning a blind eye and

" pretending " not to notice or question what a moron could have detected as

the dubious claim of 4 " captive born " baby gorillas coming from a Nigerian

zoo (when NO zoo in all of Africa breeds gorillas!) - OR by being more

actively involved, doesn't seem to factor into the equation, somehow.

 

And as long as the world remains silent, the CITES officials in Malaysia

will send these gorillas to Pretoria Zoo in South Africa - since these two

countries have a long record of animal exchanges, and I'm sure everyone's

counting on getting gorillas back to Taiping in a few years, after this

" stink " dies down, or so they think.

 

Cameroon has repeated asked for the return of these gorillas and to think

CITES can or will officially ignore this and sanction the authority of CITES

in Malaysia to do whatever they want, is mind-boggling and a sign to me and

many others, that a major overhaul needs to be considered.

 

Meanwhile, just like there are some wonderful, hard-working people in the

zoo world, I'm sure there are wonderful, hard-working people trying to

enforce CITES and everything it was supposed to mean. It's important not to

" throw out the baby with the bath water " and remember, there are some good

people in power.

 

Let's just hope the good guys win, for the gorillas' sake.

 

Jane Dewar

 

-

" Jill Gershen " <jgershen

<primfocus

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 1:51 PM

primfocus: Cameroon press covers gorilla scandal

 

 

> I'm a little confused. Since illegal acts were probably performed by

> Malaysian authorities to get these gorillas into the Taiping Zoo, why is

> Malaysia making the decision on where to send these animals??? Shouldn't

an

> objective third party be the decision maker, and not the criminal?

>

> Jill Gershen

>

> Shirley McGreal <smcgreal wrote:

>

> 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

>