SA slated for keeping gorillas

2005-04-15 12:24

Pretoria - An animal welfare group criticised South Africa on Thursday for keeping four rare gorillas smuggled out of West Africa at its national zoo rather than returning them to their homeland.

The Western Lowland gorillas were illegally exported from Nigeria via South Africa and to Malaysia's Taiping zoo. Upon discovery of the illegal shipment, the Malaysian government sent them back to South Africa, where they arrived exactly one year ago and were quarantined at Pretoria zoo.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare said that by keeping the gorillas, nicknamed the Taiping Four, South Africa was violating the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).

"There is strong evidence to suggest that the gorillas originated from Cameroon and as a member of Cites, South Africa is required to uphold stipulations that illegally confiscated animals should be returned to their country of origin," it said in a statement.

Asked twice to return gorillas

The Cameroon government has asked South Africa twice about the return of the young gorillas.

The South African government has offered to set up a technical committee to study the issue but so far this has not been met.

Gorillas are listed as an Appendix I species under the Cites and it is unlawful to kill, capture or export them. Experts believe that fewer than 100 000 gorillas remain in the wild in West Africa.

The four gorillas, captured in the wild, were sent from Nigeria under the guise of being born in captivity. The Nigerian zookeepers told investigators that the animals had been caught and brought to the zoo from Cameroon.

Environmentalists say the gorillas should be returned to Cameroon's Limb Wildlife Centre, which has a record or successfully caring for orphan gorillas.

- AP