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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Cameroonian gorillas arrive home | Cameroonian gorillas arrive home |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| Four rare gorillas have been flown from South Africa to Cameroon, five years after they were illegally smuggled to Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. | Four rare gorillas have been flown from South Africa to Cameroon, five years after they were illegally smuggled to Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. |
| The Malaysian authorities returned the four Western Lowland gorillas to South Africa in 2004 and they have since been kept at Pretoria Zoo. | The Malaysian authorities returned the four Western Lowland gorillas to South Africa in 2004 and they have since been kept at Pretoria Zoo. |
| The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the "Taiping Four" will now be taken to a wildlife sanctuary. | The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the "Taiping Four" will now be taken to a wildlife sanctuary. |
| The male and three females were sedated before being put into giant crates. | The male and three females were sedated before being put into giant crates. |
| The BBC's Francis Ngwa Niba says Cameroon's environment minister, along with a host of well-wishers, were at Doula International Airport to receive the gorillas. | |
| "The return of the gorillas to Cameroon is a manifestation of Cameroon's commitment to... the conservation of nature," Elvis Ngole Ngole said. | "The return of the gorillas to Cameroon is a manifestation of Cameroon's commitment to... the conservation of nature," Elvis Ngole Ngole said. |
| 'Message' | |
| Tinu, Izan, Oyin and Abbey, all six years old and weighing about 100kg each, are to be transported to the Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary in south-west Cameroon. | Tinu, Izan, Oyin and Abbey, all six years old and weighing about 100kg each, are to be transported to the Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary in south-west Cameroon. |
| The vet who travelled with the animals said the journey had taken 18 hours from Johannesburg, which included a six-hour stopover in Nairobi, Kenya. | |
| Enlarge Image | |
| "These animals are doing pretty well," he told the BBC after the crates were loaded off the Kenyan Airways aeroplane. | |
| "The break in Nairobi gave us an opportunity to feed them and care for them, so they were adequately rested," he said. | |
| Ifaw's Christina Pretorious said the return of the Taiping Four sends a clear message that Africa wildlife is worth fighting for and that international law must be upheld. | Ifaw's Christina Pretorious said the return of the Taiping Four sends a clear message that Africa wildlife is worth fighting for and that international law must be upheld. |
| "Africa's wildlife is disappearing from the earth right in front of our eyes," she told the AFP news agency. | "Africa's wildlife is disappearing from the earth right in front of our eyes," she told the AFP news agency. |
| Our correspondent says another welcome ceremony is planned for the gorillas in Limbe on Saturday, when people will be able to see the gorillas for themselves. | |
| There are believed to be fewer than 100,000 Western Lowland gorillas in the wild. Their status was recently upgraded to critically endangered. | There are believed to be fewer than 100,000 Western Lowland gorillas in the wild. Their status was recently upgraded to critically endangered. |
| Gorillas and other primates are often hunted to be eaten in Cameroon and neighbouring countries. | Gorillas and other primates are often hunted to be eaten in Cameroon and neighbouring countries. |