Guest guest Posted June 14, 2004 Report Share Posted June 14, 2004 - Linda Furness "IFAW" <ukcampaigns1 @ ifaw.org> (remove 2 spaces)Help save the 'Taiping Four'Tue, 08 Jun 2004 19:15:43 -0700WRITE A LETTER TO HELP SAVE THE 'TAIPING FOUR'Dear Supporter,We are urgently writing to you for your help in securing the return of four highly endangered young gorillas to their home country.These young animals, dubbed the "Taiping Four", were captured after their families had been butchered for the bushmeat trade in the West African country of Cameroon. Since then they have been flown half way around the world and back in a saga involving lies, secrecy and corruption that has now lasted more than two years.For every youngster, such as these, that survives to be sold into the pet or zoo trade, up to 10 other gorillas may be killed for their meat. Numbers of some gorilla species have plunged by up to 80 per cent in the past decade. This means the removal of every single individual from the wild has a huge effect on the potential future survival of the species.The orphans, initially smuggled to a zoo in Malaysia, were recently sent secretly to a zoo in South Africa, in contravention of international law and despite explicit requests from the Cameroon government for their return home.These animals do not belong in a zoo - and they certainly don't belong in South Africa, which has no more legal claim on them than Malaysia did.Please take a minute to read the gorillas' story and send a letter today - we will then forward it to the relevant authorities on your behalf. You could help to ensure these unfortunate animals are sent back to Cameroon, their home country, to live in a sanctuary providing conditions as close as possible to those in the wild.What happened to the Taiping Four?The four young gorillas first aroused suspicions in early 2002, when they appeared at Taiping Zoo in Malaysia, allegedly from a captive breeding programme in Nigeria. However, there are no such breeding programmes in Nigeria, and the animals had in fact been smuggled on falsified papers.Cameroon repeatedly asked Malaysia to send the gorillas back home, as required under international law. However, Malaysia has recently sent the animals to South Africa - which is not even a gorilla range state - apparently on the basis that South African Airways had been used to transport the gorillas on their illegal journey.The International Primate Protection League (IPPL), which has extensively investigated this case since the start, has cast severe doubts on the zoo's ability to care for gorillas, saying that three out of its four wild-born adult gorillas died between 1995 and 1998, while two newborns also died in 1989 and 1990. The sole remaining male has been alone for six years and there is concern that he may not accept any newcomers.TAKE ACTION NOW!Please visit www.ifaw.org and send your letter online, or send by regular post to: ' Save the Taiping Four', IFAW 87-90 Albert Embankment London SE1 7UD, UK.Your letter or email will be sent to the South African authorities, urging them to do the honourable thing and send the gorillas back home - not just for the sake of these individuals, but for their species as a whole.For the Animals,Fred O'ReganIFAW President and CEOPS: I know many of you already do this, but don't forget to forward this message to your friends. We need all the help we can get, so please tell as many as people as you can!2004 International Fund for Animal Welfare87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UDUnited Kingdomwww.ifaw.org Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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