Baby Gorilla Zeytin to Return to Nigeria After Rescue From Wildlife Traffickers

A baby gorilla named Zeytin is set to return to Nigeria after being rescued from international wildlife traffickers.

Zeytin was just five months old when authorities discovered him crammed inside a wooden crate in the cargo hold of a Turkish Airlines flight bound for Thailand, just days before Christmas.

Following the rescue, the infant gorilla was transferred to Polonezköy Zoo, located in the wooded hills outside Istanbul, where he began his recovery from the trauma of trafficking.

Now, nearly nine months later, Zeytin has transformed from a frightened, weak infant into a much stronger and more lively gorilla.

Experts believe Zeytin is a Western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered subspecies native to the rainforests of Central Africa. Their population has drastically declined in recent decades due to deforestation, hunting, and disease.

Speaking to AFP, Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul’s Nature Conservation and National Parks said: “He was found inside a small box and he was terrified: you could see it in his eyes.”

The baby gorilla was moved into a special section within the zoo where he was “nurtured with motherly affection”

“When he first arrived, he weighed 9.4 kilograms and now he weighs 16. And his height has increased from 62.5 to 80 centimetres. In other words, Zeytin, who was once a baby, has become a young gorilla.”

“We followed the legal procedures and investigated information regarding the rehabilitation centre in Nigeria, after which we decided to send him back,”