SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS

January 13, 2025 — 3.37am
Istanbul: Wildlife officials are considering returning a younger gorilla that was found in a aircraft’s cargo hold to his natural habitat on Sunday, according to authorities who said the animal is recovering at an Istanbul park.

Last month, a five-month-old monkey was discovered inside a box on a Turkish Airlines journey from Nigeria to Thailand. After a common opposition, he has been named Zeytin, the turkey word for “olive”, and is recuperating at Polonezkoy Zoo.

Zeytin, a five-month-old man gorilla, was rescued at Istanbul Airport. Credit: AP

” Of course, what we want and desire is for the child monkey … to continue its life in its homeland”, Fahrettin Ulu, local director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, said.

What’s crucial is that a completely healthy environment is created in the place where it is transported, which is very essential for us.

Zeytin has gained pounds and is showing signs of recovery from his tragic journey in the days since he was discovered.

” When he first came, he was very quiet, he would be where we left him”, said pharmacist Gulfem Esmen. ” He doesn’t have that fear today. He doesn’t actually care about us little. He plays game by himself”.

The western and eastern monkey kinds, which occupy key Africa’s remote forests and mountains, are both considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Customs officials have significantly intercepted improperly traded animals as Istanbul develops as a main air gateway between countries. In October, 17 fresh Nile crocodiles and 10 check reptiles were found in an Egyptian pilot’s luggage at the state’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

AP