Istanbul According to officials on Sunday, a young gorilla that was saved from the cargo hold of an airplane is recuperating at a zoo in Istanbul as wildlife officers think about relocating him to his native environment.
Last month, a Turkish Airlines aircraft from Nigeria to Thailand found the 5-month-old gorilla in a box. He was given the name Zeytin, or Olive, following a public competition, and is currently recovering at Polonezkoy Zoo.
Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, stated on Sunday that it is our goal and hope for the young gorilla to live on in its native habitat.
What matters is that, which is crucial for us, a completely safe environment is created wherever it travels.
Zeytin has put on weight in the weeks since his discovery and is beginning to show signs of healing from his ordeal.
According to veterinarian Gulfem Esmen, he was extremely shy when he first arrived and would remain where we left him. He no longer exhibits that shyness. He doesn’t even give a damn about us. He is the only one who plays games.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has designated both the western and eastern gorillas, which live in the isolated woods and mountains of central Africa, as endangered.
Customs officers have caught more illegally traded animals as Istanbul becomes a significant flying hub between continents. Ten monitor lizards and seventeen juvenile Nile crocodiles were discovered in the luggage of an Egyptian traveler at the city’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport in October.