A five-month-old baby gorilla, now named Zeytin, is recovering at Istanbul’s Polonezkoy Zoo after being rescued from a plane’s cargo hold.
Airports officials found the baby gorilla in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight traveling from Nigeria to Thailand last month during a stopover in Istanbul. Smugglers had put the animal in a small wooden box wearing a t-shirt.
Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, told AP News on Sunday that they wanted the baby gorilla to continue his life in his homeland. However, he emphasized the importance of ensuring Zeytin’s safety in relocation.
Veterinarian Gulfem Esmen shared that Zeytin has been recovering well from his traumatic experience. “When he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him,” said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. “He doesn’t have that shyness now, he doesn’t even care about us much. He plays games by himself.”
Istanbul’s position as a major travel hub has made it a hotspot for wildlife trafficking. Recently, customs officials found Nile crocodiles and monitor lizards at Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
The illegal wildlife trade often involves the brutal separation of baby gorillas from their families. Poachers typically kill adult gorillas, including protective mothers, to capture the infants for sale.
This practice threatens the survival of individual animals and has devastating effects on gorilla populations, which are already endangered due to habitat loss.
Follow for daily animal news – Support animal welfare journalism
The Animal Reader is an independent animal news platform based in the Netherlands. We share daily updates about animal-related issues.
