Re-send your bounced gorilla protest e-mails--we'll hand-deliver them!

December 23, 2003

Dear Alert List Member:

Last Friday, IPPL requested e-listers to send e-mail messages to Ms. Sonja Meintjies, of the South African CITES Management Authority. We asked you to request that South Africa allow the "Taiping Four" gorillas--who were illegally shipped via Nigeria and South Africa to Malaysia last year--to be sent to a sanctuary in Cameroon rather than to a zoo in South Africa. We are concerned that these animals may end up in a country that was part of their original illegal itinerary; instead, they should be returned to Cameroon, the country of their birth.

We have been getting reports of "bounced" messages. Apparently Ms. Meintjies' mailbox (listed on www.cites.org as the "national contact for South Africa") has been made unavailable.

The good news is that our colleagues at the Wildlife Action Group (WAG) in South Africa have agreed to receive our protest messages and to fax them to Ms. Meintjies' office; in addition, after the Christmas holidays, WAG promises to hand-deliver them to Ms. Meintjies--a nice present! So please re-send your protest e-mails to the following contact:

Liezel Mortimer mortimer@mweb.co.za

Here is another sample letter, drafted by IPPL member Linda Howard, that you may wish to use:

SAMPLE LETTER

To: Sonja Meintjies, CITES Management Authority, South Africa
Subject: "Taiping Four" Gorillas

Dear Ms. Meintjies:

I have been following the case of the four young gorillas, known as "The Taiping Four," since the International Primate Protection League obtained a copy of the Nigerian export permit that was issued in November 2001 to Nigeria's Ibadan Zoo. The permit for five lowland gorillas, six duikers, and three chimpanzees falsely described these animals as "captive-born". As a result, four wild-caught gorillas were soon on their way to Taiping Zoo, Malaysia.

At this time, I am gravely concerned about the fate of the "Taiping Four" gorillas and South Africa's role in what appears to be a primary connection for the operations of non-human primate smuggling.

As you are likely aware, habitat destruction and poaching pose enormous--and immediate--threats to the rare and endangered animals, plants, and fragile eco-systems on this planet. Primates are especially imperiled: almost half of all primate species already face extinction.

Many factors have contributed to the decline in primate populations, including the destruction of their habitat by increasing populations of humans and the hunting of adult monkeys and apes for bushmeat. However, poaching and capture for export have an enormous impact on the dwindling numbers of primates.

If this appalling trade is not stopped, the outlook for the future survival of gorillas and other primate species is dismal. Gorilla poachers concentrate on shooting gorilla mothers, and for every baby successfully captured, many more babies, their mothers, and other members of the gorilla troop who attempt to protect the babies are killed.

The job of protecting imperiled species is enormous and everyone has a role to play--including you.

I implore you to withdraw your intent to accept "The Taiping Four" into South Africa. These gorillas should be returned to Cameroon. They should not go to Pretoria Zoo, nor any other zoo in South Africa.

Officials and businesses in South Africa (including the national airline) played an essential role in the sordid smuggling of these four gorillas. As such, an opportunity should not be allowed for it to be perceived that South Africa is being "rewarded."

If a market exists (or is perceived as existing) for animals or their remains--regardless of whether the species is plentiful, threatened, or highly endangered--then the creator of the market shares the responsibility for the death of any animals killed to fill that market.

You are in a position to set a positive example for how fragile and irreplaceable endangered species should be treated. It is time for South Africa to champion the cause of protecting all wildlife and raise the standards by which all African species are treated. Please join the international community of primate protection advocates and request that the gorillas be returned to Cameroon where they rightfully belong.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League
PO Box 766
Summerville, SC 29484, USA
Phone - 843-871-2280, Fax- 843-871-7988
E-mail - smcgreal@ippl.org, Web: www.ippl.org