Cameroon to get gorillas back

2007-10-30 18:16

Johannesburg - Four gorillas are to return home to Cameroon in November, two animal welfare organisations said on Tuesday.

A joint statement by the National Zoological Gardens of SA (NZG of SA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said the four Taiping gorillas had undergone a series of health tests and were in good health.

"The gorillas underwent a barrage of health tests this morning (Tuesday) and all four were found to be in robust health.

"The gorillas are in fine shape, and we do not anticipate anything will stand in the way of them leaving on November 30," said IFAW spokesperson Christina Pretorius.

The organisations said the return of one male gorilla and three female gorillas who had been kept at the NZG of SA in Pretoria would be an early Christmas present for the people of Cameroon, as they had been asking for their return since 2002.

"The return will effectively end the five-year saga surrounding the four gorillas that has made headlines ever since they were found to have been smuggled to the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia, using forged documents in 2002," she said.

The four were confiscated by the Malaysian government and sent to SA for safekeeping.

The gorillas named Izan, Abbey, Tinu and Oyin will be housed at the Limbe Wildlife Centre sanctuary in Cameroon.

- SAPA