World’s loneliest gorilla doomed to die in captivity in tiny cage in shopping centre

World’s loneliest gorilla doomed to die in captivity in tiny cage in shopping centre



The world’s loneliest gorilla is doomed to die in captivity in a tiny cage in a shopping centre, after activists’ continued attempts to free her fail.

Pop icon Cher has joined an ever increasing swell of animal rights activists and celebrities campaigning to have Bua Noi resettled in an environment where she can spend the last years of her life in dignity.

There are also more than more than 117,000 signatures on a Change.org petition to release Thailand’s only surviving gorilla from 30-years in confinement (see petition below).

She is one of hundreds of monkeys, birds and reptiles in the privately-run Pata Zoo, situated on the roof of an old Bangkok mall.

Pata Zoo in Bangkok is on the sixth and seventh floors of the Pata department store (Image: Daily Mirror)
Pata Zoo in Bangkok is on the sixth and seventh floors of the Pata department store (Image: Daily Mirror)

Surrounded by concrete, bars and thick glass, with only a few ropes and car tire for distraction in what has been referred to as the “horror zoo”.

“A life of boredom and loneliness is the cruellest fate of all for our primate cousins,” the petition says.

Cher has also previously tweeted: “This man is making [money] off suffering of these poor trapped animals.

“I need to join with animal rights activists and kind people of Bangkok.”

Bua Noi was brought to Thailand and has been held captive at the zoo on the rooftop of a department store for more than three decades (Image: RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Bua Noi was brought to Thailand and has been held captive at the zoo on the rooftop of a department store for more than three decades (Image: RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Bua Noi was moved to the shopping centre from Germany aged one and has been imprisoned ever since.

However, in autumn, the Thai Environment Ministry said the gorilla’s owners wanted 30 million Thai baht (£739,666) for her release before the zoo denied the money request on its Facebook page.

The owners claimed Bua Noi was too old to adjust to a new environment and was being well cared for.

Despite offers to take her, as well as other primates being kept at the zoo, into care, the owners of Pata Zoo did not seem interested and said the gorilla was fine.

Thailand’s Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa appeared also to draw a line on the matter, saying the zoo had “promised to take care” of the animals and the owner “had the right to do so”.

Sign the petition to Save Gorilla Little Lotus (Buanoi):

petition button 350px 1 1

This article by Joe Faretra was first published by The Daily Star on 6 January 2023. Lead Image: Bua Noi has spent 30 years in captivity at the privately-run Pata Zoo (Image: Daily Mirror).


What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.


payment

Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Supertrooper

Founder and Executive Editor

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

2 Comments