A young gorilla rescued from the hold of a plane is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, authorities said Sunday, as wildlife officials plan to return him to his natural habitat. The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month. After a public competition, he was named Zeytin, or Olive, and is recovering at the Polonezkoy Zoo, according to the AP. “Of course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla… to continue its life in its native country,” Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of nature conservation and national parks, said on Sunday. from Istanbul.
Ulu adds: “What is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established where he is going.” In the weeks since his discovery, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of healing from his traumatic journey. “When he arrived, he was very shy, he stayed where we left him,” said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. “He doesn’t have that shyness anymore. He doesn’t even care about us that much. He plays alone.”
Both gorilla species – the western and eastern gorillas that inhabit the remote forests and mountains of central Africa – are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. As Istanbul emerges as a major air hub between continents, customs officials are intercepting more and more illegally traded animals. In October, 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were discovered in the luggage of an Egyptian passenger at the city’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport. (More gorilla stories.)
