A young gorilla rescued from a plane’s 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 as it transited through Istanbul. After a public competition, he has been named Zeytin, or Olive, and is recuperating at Polonezkoy Zoo.
In the weeks since he was found, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of recovering from his traumatic journey.
“When he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him,” said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. “He doesn’t have that shyness now. He doesn’t even care about us much. He plays games by himself.”
Maybe if there is a reserve somewhere that they can do that but they can also keep observing him for any risks. It’s unfortunate, but it is probably best for Zeytin to spend his life somewhere that people can keep an eye on him after the trauma he has gone through.
Five-month-old gorillas are basically toddlers. So we’re talking about a toddler that’s been taken away from his mother and father and will never see them again and has gone through a severely traumatic experience just on the plane. We have no idea what else he’s been through. It’s good to know he’s healing, but that sort of thing might never be healed completely.