"Taiping Four" gorillas on CITES agenda

April 2003

One of the "Taiping Four" gorillas

In January 2002, four gorillas, one male and three females, arrived at the Taiping Zoo in the state of Perak, Malaysia. IPPL was tipped off about the animals’ arrival and that they had originated in Nigeria.

IPPL chairwoman Shirley McGreal immediately contacted the Malaysian wildlife department, which confirmed that four gorillas had been imported and that, on hearing about the dubious origins of the animals, a permit issued to Taiping Zoo to import two more gorillas was canceled.

IPPL received documents confirming that the gorillas were exported on what appeared to be authentic export documents, by the Ibadan Zoo, Nigeria. The permits, were issued be a Nigerian official and appeared to be authentic Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) documents. They described the gorillas as "captive born" at the zoo.

IPPL learned that the zoo had only one elderly female gorilla. Zoo employees told the press that the gorillas had reached the zoo from Cameroon. On 9 November 2002 the Malaysian Minister of the Environment announced that the gorillas would be confiscated.

Zoos around the world started clamoring for them - no wonder, because gorillas are extremely expensive (a Nigerian dealer offered several for sale at US $400,000 each some years ago, and the Chiba City Zoo in Japan bought two gorillas for $300,000 each in 1990). Getting four gorillas for free would allow a zoo to obtain valuable publicity and derive income from displaying the animals.

During CITES 2002, the "Taiping Four" gorilla shipment was discussed. IPPL provided case documents to Nigeria’s Minister of State for the Environment, Dr. Imeh Okopido, a veterinarian by profession.

Minister Okopido was so annoyed that he called a press conference, which was held on 12 November 2002. John Sellar of the CITES Secretariat and two members of the Malaysian delegation were also on the platform. Minister Okopido made the first presentation. Extracts from the statements follow.

Minister Okopido’s comments

The Nigerian Government has redeployed CITES Enforcement Officers to Nigerian airports, seaports and border posts of the country in a renewed effort to stamp out illegal importation and exportation of endangered species. This follows the January 2002 illegal export of four young Western Lowland Gorillas, flown from Lagos Airport, Nigeria, to Malaysia, via Johannesburg, on South African Airways…

We took very serious the gorilla smuggling incident, and the tarnishing of our country’s image internationally. Accordingly all persons involved, whether government officials or private individuals, will be investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and if need be, Interpol will be invited to help track down the smuggling network…

The only living adult gorilla at Ibadan Zoological Garden is an elderly female, and the only adult male is long dead, but still on display, stuffed, and is even featured on the Oyo State web site.

Are we to believe that these allegedly captive infants were the result of "immaculate conception"? We reject this hypothesis outright!!…

Gorillas are listed on Appendix 1 of CITES, which bans commercial trade. Documents and correspondence at my disposal clearly indicate that this unwholesome deal was an illegal commercial transaction and also that this was known to be the directors of both zoos.

The document includes:

• A letter from a Nigerian businessman, Mr. Tunde Odukoya, dated 5th June 2000, to a zoo in Cameroon, copied to Dr. Kevin Lazarus, Director of Taiping Zoo, and to Dr. Akinboye, Director of University of Ibadan Zoological Gardens, Nigeria, seeking to procure six lowland gorillas (among other species).
• A price list from Odukoya and Associates, offering for sale (among other endangered species) "4 heads of baby gorillas" for $400,000 each - i.e. 1.6 million dollars.
• The CITES export permit for five gorillas, signed by Engineer D. B. Usman, who is not a member of the Nigerian CITES Management Authority and could not have been mandated to sign it in his then position because only my Management Authority and I have the authority to do so.

Minister Okopido addresses the world press

This collusion by high-ranking officials in both governments is unpatriotic, very damaging to the reputations of both countries and damaging to an endangered species that they are employed to protect.

It is important to realize that young gorillas are so sensitive to the stress of capture that even in experienced hands, 80 percent of rescued orphans dir. Thus to provide four living infants, at least 16 infants probably died.

And for each of these captured orphans, at least two members of their family will have been shot (the mother, the father, and any other group member who attempts to defend them). Thus, at a conservative estimate, for four wild caught infants to be in a zoo, 56 gorillas have died, and a total of 60 have been removed from the wild population.

When the legality of the shipment was questioned, the Malaysian authorities withdrew their permit for two more gorillas.

But I wish to ask – when representatives of Taiping Zoo visited Ibadan Zoo … did they not ask how one elderly, lone, female gorilla produced four offspring between two and four years of age between the time period of the exchange programme? Did they not ask to see their parents? Or where these animals were born? These, I think are basic questions to be asked before issuing a CITES permit.

With such a rare, endangered and high profile species, to proceed without answers to these questions is tantamount to criminal neglect …

It is my candid appeal that the four gorillas be returned to their country of origin in Africa. Sending them to a zoo in another country sends a message that wild-caught gorillas can still enter foreign zoos, and those zoos will benefit from their arrival.

The conservation education value of captive gorillas is most needed in their country of origin. Returning confiscated animals to their country of origin sends a message to potential buyers that they will lose money if they risk such illegal deals…

I acknowledge the important role of Dr. Shirley McGreal and the International Primate Protection League in exposing this nefarious scam.

Malaysian delegation’s comments

…Taiping Zoo applied to the CITES authorities of Malaysia to import five gorillas for breading and exhibition purposes … Based on the information provided by the University of Ibadan Zoological Gardens which confirm the gorillas were captive-bred animals, Malaysian CITES Management Authority issued CITES import permit to enable Taiping Zoo to import the gorillas.

In order to execute the animal exchange Taiping Zoo appointed a forwarding agent, NigerCom Solutions Sdn. Bhd. To handle the exchange. The appointment of forwarders to handle animal exchange between Malaysian zoos and overseas zoos is the usual way animal exchange is done.

The Malaysian CITES Management Authority received a copy of the Nigerian export permit prior to the actual importation. The permit was issued by the authorized CITES Management Authority of Nigeria and again indicated the gorillas were captive-bred from University of Ibadan. Malaysia accepted the permit in good faith and never doubted the authenticity of the document as it was issued by the appointed authority.

On 18 January 2002, four gorillas were imported into Malaysia and were transferred to Taiping Zoo. Then only in April the CITES authorities of Malaysia started receiving information about the alleged malpractice regarding the exchange of the gorillas from NGOs and CITES secretariat.

[Malaysia’s] investigation showed that although the Nigerian CITES permit was valid, the information on the permit was false …

The Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment is the authority to decide on matters relating to the fate of a totally protected species under the Protection of Wildlife Act.

Following the press conference, Minister Okopido and Denis Koulagna Koutou, head of the Cameroon CITES team, co-signed a letter to the Minister of the Environment for Malaysia.

… We are writing to inform you that it is the wish of the Ministry of Environment of Nigeria, acting on behalf of the Nigerian Government, and the CITES Management Authority of Cameroon, on behalf of the Cameroonian Government, that the above-mentioned four young gorillas be returned to a sanctuary in Africa (Cameroon if the DNA confirms this as their country of origin)…

Minister Okopido has informed IPPL that he has not yet received a reply to his letter.