"Taiping Four" Update
August 2005
Despite years of worldwide protests, the four young gorillas who were smuggled from Cameroon via South Africa to Taiping Zoo, Malaysia, in January 2002 were finally placed on exhibit in May 2005 at South Africa’s Pretoria Zoo. The animals had been shipped to Pretoria in April 2004, since international exposure had made it unfeasible for Malaysia to retain the smuggled animals. The animals were sent to Pretoria even though South Africa was part of the original smuggling itinerary.
IPPL and a number of other wildlife organizations have continually campaigned to have the animals returned to their country of origin, where a high-quality rescue center with a large social group of gorillas (Cameroon’s Limbe Wildlife Centre) is ready to welcome them home.
In a protracted effort to delay the gorillas’ repatriation, one of the tactics employed by Malaysian and South African authorities has been to dispute the gorillas’ true origin. The initial story promoted by the Malaysians - that the young gorillas had been bred in captivity in Nigeria’s Ibadan Zoo - was clearly false, as the zoo had only a solitary adult
female gorilla in its collection. Sworn testimony from a Nigerian panel of
inquiry confirmed that the animals were originally captured in Cameroon.
Under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species,
the international treaty that prohibits the trafficking of protected wildlife), smuggled animals should be returned to their country of origin if that country so desires. And although Cameroon has made numerous requests for the return of the animals, South Africa has failed to make any progress in that direction. Interestingly, the recently published 2005 edition of the International Gorilla Studbook, which is compiled through information submitted by zoos and breeding centers that care for gorillas, lists the Taiping/Pretoria Zoo gorillas-and also identifies Cameroon as their country of origin.
Nevertheless, the campaign to have the Taiping Four gorillas sent to Limbe
Wildlife Centre in Cameroon continues. The Government of Cameroon is taking
the lead but many organizations are also involved, including the Cameroonbased Last Great Ape Organization, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and IPPL.
On 10 May 2005, the New York Times ran a full-page story about the gorillas on page A3. The article highlighted IPPL’s role in initially unmasking the deal in March 2002 and included quotes from IPPL Chairwoman Dr. Shirley McGreal. She pointed out that Pretoria Zoo’s history marks that institution as under-qualified to care for the new arrivals: five gorillas died in Pretoria’s care between 1989 and 1998, including two infants less than a month old. Now that the Taiping Four gorillas are literally in the public eye-and will likely stay that way, given the expensive new enclosure that was built by the zoo to house them - public pressure on the South African government will likely continue for some time to come.
See related articles:
The "Taiping Four" Gorilla Deal
"Taiping Four" Gorillas to be Confiscated
"Taiping Four" gorillas on CITES agenda
The future of the "Taiping Four" gorillas
"Taiping Four" to go to South Africa?
Update on "Taiping Four" Gorilla Case
The Taiping Four should return to Cameroon
