African press covers Taiping gorilla scandal

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Cameroonian Gorillas Still Held in South Africa

 

The Post (Buea)

NEWS

April 22, 2005

Posted to the web April 22, 2005

 

By Jeff Ngawe Yufenyu

 

Cameroonians in South Africa have expressed anger at South Africa

government's attitude towards the fate of four gorillas of Cameroonian

origin being held in Pretoria Zoo. The four gorillas, first smuggled from

Cameroon into Nigeria, were on January 7, 2002, loaded onto a South African

Airways flight N0. 204.

 

They were flown non-stop from Lagos to Johannesburg, their final

destination being Malaysia.

 

While the gorillas were at the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia, some South African

officials paid a visit to Malaysia. The visit eventually led to the

gorillas being transferred to the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria,

South Africa.

 

In a four-page document signed by Vivan Fuh Tafor, some concerned

Cameroonian students studying in South Africa expressed resentment

following the Pretoria government's reluctance in sending the primates back

to Cameroon.

 

According to the document, the International Primate Protection League,

IPPL was tipped of the arrival of the four gorillas at the Taiping Zoo in

Malaysia from Nigeria, under shady circumstances.

 

The IPPL began investigations on the matter. The investigations showed that

Nigeria had no gorillas belonging to the species as the four in question.

 

The IPPL then in collaboration with authorities of the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, asked the Malaysian

government to seize the animals.

 

The document states that before the seizure could be effected, South

African officials paid a visit to Malaysia which resulted in the transfer

of the animals from the Taiping Zoo to a Pretoria Zoo.

 

Since then, requests from both the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments to

have the gorillas sent back to Cameroon have yielded no fruits, as the

primates are still in Pretoria.

 

In the document, the Cameroonian students quote a certain Jane Dewar,

founder of an organisation called Gorilla Haven as being suspicious in the

role South Africa is playing in the gorilla saga.

 

The document states reasons why the South African authorities should send

back the gorillas to Cameroon.

 

Cameroon has at least two sanctuaries capable of receiving the gorillas in

question, one of which is the Limbe Wildlife Centre, LWC, the document reads.

 

It further states that the Limbe Wildlife Centre alone houses different

primate species as well as different reptiles and ungulates. The document

quotes the International Primate Protection League as having recommended

the staff and supporters of LWC.

 

The document also states that Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairman of IPPL, had

visited Limbe and said she believed the gorillas would receive excellent care.

 

Stating why the Pretoria Zoo should not continue to host the smuggled

gorillas, the document says out of the six gorillas the Zoo had, five had

died. Also, two baby gorillas born at the Zoo died before reaching the age

of one month.

 

Outstanding is the fact that South Africa has no native gorillas.

 

Furthermore, the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of

Cruelty to Animals, NSPCA, representing 102 societies in South Africa,

Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique as well as the Canadian Primate

Rescue, did uphold and renew their campaign against the importation of the

animals into South Africa.

 

2005 The Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica

Global Media (allAfrica.com).

 

 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman

International Primate Protection League

PO Box 766

Summerville, SC 29484, USA

Phone - 843-871-2280, Fax- 843-871-7988

E-mail - smcgreal, Web: www.ippl.org

 

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making

exciting discoveries. ~ AA Milne