The baby gorilla that was rescued last December at Istanbul Airport while being illegally transported from Africa on a plane bound for Bangkok has been named ‘Zeytin’ (Olive, in Turkish) after a popular voting campaign launched by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in which citizens have proposed thousands of names for the animal.
The baby gorilla was intercepted on 22 December when it was transported without any authorisation or registration in a box from Nigeria to Bangkok. After his rescue, he was transferred to an animal rehabilitation centre in Polonezköy Zoo, on the outskirts of the Asian side of Istanbul, where he is under constant care in a special glassed-in room to which only his keepers have access and under strict hygiene and security measures.
The gorilla, who was sad and frightened when he arrived at the centre, is now much more confident and now spends his days moving and playing with various toys and a blanket that he is particularly fond of. ‘He was found in very poor sanitary conditions, in a small box and with signs of having been severely mistreated,’ said Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of the Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP), in statements reported by Turkish media.
While many species – from lion cubs, snakes and exotic birds, to monkeys – have been rescued from smugglers so far, ‘there has never been a gorilla in Turkey before, this is the first time. Therefore, it is being given special protection. A special environment has been created in the zoo for him for his rehabilitation process, which is being managed with upmost care by his keepers and veterinarians,’ Ulu stressed.
The expert further noted that the baby gorilla, who had a look of fear and anxiety when he arrived at the centre from Istanbul Airport, now shows afection and a renewed sense of security. ‘When he arrived he weighed 9.4 kilos, but now he weighs 10.4 kilos. His height has grown from 62 to 65.5 centimetres. This clearly shows how well we are taking care of Zeytin,’ said Ulu.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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