On Dec. 22, 2024, Turkish customs officers conducting a random search of a plane\u2019s cargo hold found a surprise stowaway inside a small wooden crate with holes: a malnourished baby gorilla dressed in a soiled T-shirt.<\/p>\n
The Turkish Airlines flight was headed from Nigeria to Thailand and was transiting via Istanbul, authorities told local media. The baby gorilla, transported without necessary permits, is one among many wildlife seized in recent months in Istanbul, a major air-transit hub.<\/p>\n
After its seizure, authorities handed over the five-month-old male gorilla to the general directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (DKMP) under the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The gorilla, named Zeytin (meaning \u2018olive\u2019 in Turkish) after a social media campaign in early January, is now recovering at Polonezk\u00f6y Zoo in Istanbul.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is doing well,\u201d Asl\u0131han Niksarl\u0131, a primate expert at the Jane Goodall Institute and director of Roots and Shoots T\u00fcrkiye, told Mongabay, crediting his well-being to those in charge. She said she has been in touch with the Turkish authorities since the seizure, supporting Zeytin\u2019s care. \u201cHe\u2019s beating his chest and threatening people around him, showing he\u2019s becoming the boss \u2014 all these signs we see show that he is physically and socially doing well,\u201d Niksarl\u0131 added.<\/p>\n
Zeytin is one of the latest victims of the booming illegal trafficking of wild apes. Both eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) are critically endangered and listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits its commercial trade. Niksarl\u0131 says further genetic testing would be needed to confirm his species and geographic origin.<\/p>\n
The crate in which Zeytin was found was falsely declared as containing 50 rabbits. Subsequent investigations revealed that Zeytin was likely headed to an animal farm in Nakhon Pathom in Central Thailand. Acting on this intelligence, Thai Police raided the farm and seized 284 animals, although their legality is yet to be determined.<\/p>\n
Since his seizure, Zeytin has gained weight and grown taller. He\u2019s been fed a nutritious diet, which Niksarl\u0131 said was based on a \u201cdetailed diet list\u201d put together by Roots and Shoots and the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), the largest primate sanctuary alliance in Africa. Videos, shared by the ministry, show him playing with toys, drinking milk from his bottle and exploring his new surroundings.<\/p>\n
The long-term plan of the DKMP is to return Zeytin to \u201cits homeland,\u201d according to Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of DKMP. \u201cOur desire is for [Zeytin] to continue [his] life in the rainforests of Africa,\u201d he said, adding T\u00fcrkiye is in talks with CITES, other organizations and relevant countries on Zeytin\u2019s repatriation. If these talks succeed, Zeytin could be sent to a wildlife sanctuary in Africa, where he\u2019d be rehabilitated before being released into the wild.<\/p>\n