Guest guest Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2005/4/19/features/10690276 & sec=\ features ________________________ Tuesday April 19, 2005 Gorillas in limbo <b>By HILARY CHIEW</b> After being quarantined for a year, the infamous Taiping Four gorillas look set for public display at their new home in a zoo in South Africa amid a fresh outcry for them to be returned to their range state in West Africa. Malaysia’s decision in sending the four young apes to the National Zoological Garden in Pretoria had created a furore among international animal rights groups. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) is now criticising the South African Government for failing to convene a technical committee to facilitate the return of the Taiping Four gorillas to West Africa as promised. Instead the government is allowing preparations to continue for placing the gorillas on public display. In a press release issued on April 14 to mark the first anniversary of the animals’ arrival in South Africa, Ifaw said its investigators could easily gain access to the still-under-construction gorilla enclosure at the zoo and were able to view and photograph the young animals. “The gorillas are already on public display as foreign tourists are taking pictures of the animals, unsupervised in the indoor enclosure of the new facility,” said Christina Pretorius, Ifaw’s Southern Africa communications manager. <b>Controversial shipment</b> The four young gorillas, believed to be of the western lowland species, were smuggled from Cameroon into Nigeria some time before 2002. Babies at that time, the animals were placed at the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden which facilitated the illicit trade in the highly endangered species. Gorillas are one of the four great apes protected against international trade through their listing under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Trade in Appendix I species is strictly regulated and is allowed only for scientific and conservation purposes, and if the specimens are certified to be captive-bred. The Taiping Four were flown out of Lagos, made a transit through Johannesburg and landed in Penang Airport. From there, they were sent to the Taiping Zoo in January 2002. The zoo’s plan to introduce its new arrivals during the Workers Day holiday was thwarted following the exposure of the illegal consignment by the International Primate Protection League (IPPL). This resulted in the primates’ confiscation and subsequent disposal. Taiping Zoo had declined to comment on the controversy from the start, and its director Dr Kevin Lazarus had maintained that the four gorillas were part of a zoo exchange programme and that they were born in captivity at Ibadan. Upon arrival in South Africa, the young apes were confined to the zoo’s quarantine facilities while diplomatic negotiations dragged on throughout the year. The South African Government appears to have failed to make good its promise to Ifaw and the Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance (Pasa) in December 2004, when its Deputy Minister of Environment Rejoice Mabudafhasi gave an undertaking to convene a technical committee. “Ifaw and Pasa were invited to be part of that committee and we immediately accepted the offer. Yet four months later, and despite numerous requests by Ifaw for information and for a date for a meeting to be set, the committee has yet to meet. “As a result, we believe the delays have allowed the Pretoria Zoo to prepare the gorillas’ enclosure and make it more difficult for Cites requirements to be met. “Given that Cameroon specifically asked South Africa for the return of the gorillas on two separate occasions, we feel the current situation shows a serious lack of respect for both Cites and the spirit of African cooperation,” said Ifaw Southern Africa director Jason Bell. Ifaw urged South Africa, a signatory to Cites, to uphold the convention resolution that specimens confiscated from illegal trade should be returned to the country of origin upon request. “But two separate requests by the Cameroon Government have been ignored by South Africa,” he added. Working with IPPL, Pasa, the Last Great Ape Organisation, the Limbe Wildlife Centre and the Born Free Foundation, Ifaw is working towards securing the return of the animals to West Africa and the long-term care of the gorillas. The organisations had identified Limbe Wildlife Centre as an appropriate place for the animals to be cared for in the long term. Run in conjunction with the Cameroon Government, Limbe is said to have an impeccable record in the care and husbandry of gorillas and is currently caring for 12 gorillas. Limbe has successfully established family groups of gorillas and the Taiping Four will be integrated into the resident gorilla population once they have completed a quarantine period, said the press release. IPPL’s director Shirley McGreal pointed out that the information box on the gorillas exhibited at Pretoria Zoo said nothing about their illegal origin. Conservationists felt let down by what they perceive as South Africa and Malaysia's failure to send a strong signal to animal traffickers. They believed this could only be achieved if the animals were returned to their range state and the smugglers punished. <b>ACA probe</b> While the tug-of-war over the appropriate placement of the four young gorillas continues in South Africa, the issue is far from over in Malaysia. It is learnt that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has opened a file on the matter soon after the animals left the country. Perak deputy director Noorazian Abdul Manaf confirmed that there is on-going investigation into the case. “We are looking into possible corrupt practices, documentation fraud and abuse of power,” she said, but added that she was unable to disclose details of the probe in accordance to ACA practice. Over in Nigeria, an inquiry in February 2003 recommended criminal prosecution of several alleged corrupt government officials and civilians involved in the illegal transaction of the Taiping Four. According to the Report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry to Investigate the Illegal Trade/Smuggling of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora into and out of Nigeria, former director of Ibadan Zoo, Dr Dora Olufunmilola Akinboye, admitted that the gorillas were purchased from a dealer and that in 1999 some Malaysians from Taiping Zoo, accompanied by a Nigerian, visited the zoo. The Malaysians paid a second visit, bringing money and giving Dr Akinboye a list of animals wanted by Taiping Zoo. The Malaysian entourage was alleged to have told Dr Akinboye to contact the Nigerian Ministry of Environment office in Lagos instead of its headquarters in the capital of Abuja. The inquiry showed that the Lagos office had no authority to issue the Cites export permits. It recommended that Cites officer Alhaji Lateef Olofinjana Suberu (at the Lagos office) be dismissed and prosecuted for “aiding and abetting to commit a crime of exportation of endangered species from Nigeria.” Akinboye was to be prosecuted as well. A veterinarian, the ministry’s chief environment scientists and an engineer who signed the permit were also recommended for prosecution and dismissal. The inquiry panel also recommended the arrest of notorious animal dealer Tunde Odukoya who did not appear for the inquiry. It is unclear if the recommendations were taken up by the Nigerian authorities.<p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2004 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. 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