Young gorilla found in plane’s cargo could be returned to the wild Istanbul customs officials have increasingly intercepted illegally traded animals.
“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, said Sunday.
A young gorilla rescued from a plane’s cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials have said.
As Istanbul emerges as a major air hub between continents, customs officials have increasingly intercepted illegally traded animals.
Both gorilla species — the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa’s remote forests and mountains — are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
