Baby gorilla smuggled on Turkish Airlines flight is recovering in Istanbul
A baby gorilla that was seized by Turkish authorities is recovering at an Istanbul zoo after it was discovered in the cargo hold of a Turkish Airlines jet last month.
The five-month-old gorilla was discovered in a crate on a flight from Nigeria and was destined for Bangkok, Thailand. It was discovered in Istanbul on Dec. 21 and was handed over local to wildlife conservation authorities.
“Of course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla … to continue its life in its homeland,” Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, told the Associated Press. “What is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us.”
According to the AP, the gorilla was named Zeytin and authorities say it is showing good signs of recovery at the Polonezkoy Zoo.
“When he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him,” veterinarian Gulfem Esmen told the AP. “He doesn’t have that shyness now. He doesn’t even care about us much. He plays games by himself.”
Turkish Airlines said it is cooperating with authorities investigating the incident.
"We take the highest level of care in adhering to national and international regulations in our legal animal transportation operations," Yahya Üstün, senior vice president of media relations at Turkish Airlines, told Paste BN in a statement. "Turkish Airlines supports the goal of responsible transportation to prevent illegal wildlife trade and operates with the awareness that the responsibility for preserving the ecosystem is universal across all our destinations."
Contributing: Reuters
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for Paste BN based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.