ISTANBUL (AP) 鈥� A rescued from a plane鈥檚 cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials said Sunday, while wildlife officers consider returning him to his natural habitat.
The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month. After a public competition, he has been named Zeytin, or Olive, and is recuperating at Polonezkoy Zoo.
鈥淥f course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla 鈥� to continue its life in its homeland,鈥� Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, said Sunday.
鈥淲hat is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us.鈥�
In the weeks since he was found, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of recovering from his traumatic journey.
鈥淲hen he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him,鈥� said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 have that shyness now. He doesn鈥檛 even care about us much. He plays games by himself.鈥�
Both gorilla species 鈥� the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa鈥檚 remote forests and mountains 鈥� are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
As Istanbul emerges as a major air hub between continents, customs officials have increasingly intercepted In October, 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were found in an Egyptian passenger鈥檚 luggage at the city鈥檚 Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
The Associated Press
