FW: PASA News: Taiping Four Gorilla Dies Following Protracted Illness

[Guest guest]

Pan African Sanctuary Alliance [PASAapes]

30 December, 2008 1:19 AM

john

PASA News: Taiping Four Gorilla Dies Following Protracted

Illness

 

 

December 29, 2008

 

Taiping Four Gorilla Dies Following Protracted Illness

 

Taiping Four Gorilla Dies Following Protracted Illness

http://pasa.createsend.com/ei/r/55/605/F3C/hrott/Izancrop.JPG

 

Izan, a male Western Lowland gorilla that became an international

symbol of illegal trade and African heritage as part of the so-called

" Taiping Four, " died December 26 at the Limbe Wildlife Center in Cameroon

following a lengthy illness.

 

An autopsy was performed following Izan's death, and it is hoped

laboratory tests in Europe will provide answers as to the cause. It is

believed that stress and a lack of immunity to endemic pathogens may have

contributed.

 

" We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Izan and our hearts go

out to the staff of the Limbe Wildlife Center, which battled mightily to

save him, " said Doug Cress, executive director of the Pan African Sanctuary

Alliance (PASA). " Gorillas are fragile animals that are extremely

susceptible to stress, and it could be that the ordeal of Izan's original

capture from the wild and his subsequent travels left him vulnerable. "

 

The Taiping Four gorillas were one male and three females that were

illegally captured as infants from the wild in Cameroon in 2001 and smuggled

across the border to Nigeria. From there, the gorillas were transferred

under forged CITES permits to the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. After the deal

was uncovered, the Government of Malaysia confiscated the gorillas and sent

them to the Pretoria Zoo in South Africa - despite repeated requests from

the Government of Cameroon for the return of the gorillas.

 

In support of Cameroon's request, a consortium of animal

conservation and welfare organizations lobbied aggressively for the

repatriation of the gorillas, and the Taiping Four were sent to the Limbe

Wildlife Center in late 2007. Their return was viewed as a national victory

for Cameroon against the international wildlife trafficking menace that

continues to threaten the species' survival.

 

Last June, Oyin, another of the Taiping Four gorillas, died from

intestinal problems similar to those that plagued Izan.

 

Although the Taiping Four gorillas joined Limbe's 12-member gorilla

social group within months of their arrival in Cameroon, Izan was noticeably

more shy and susceptible to stress than the others. He first became ill in

July, and ultimately required treatment four times over the next five months

just to maintain his health.

 

Limbe officials were in constant contact with primate health experts

in Africa, Europe and North America throughout Izan's illness and

treatments.

 

" This is a terrible loss for us all, " said Felix Lankester, manager

of the Limbe Wildlife Centre. " We did absolutely everything we could to save

Izan and uncover the source of his illness, but by the end he was just too

weakened to recover. We shall miss him very much. "

 

Added Lankester: " The initial findings from the necropsy of Izan

were similar to those found in the necropsy of Oyin, suggesting that there

could be a common cause to these two deaths. We shall be sending tissue

samples to labs in an attempt to ascertain the cause. "

 

PASA was formed in 2000 to unite the rescue and rehabilitation

facilities across Africa that care for chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and

literally thousands of other endangered primates. For more information,

please contact PASAapes or visit www.pasaprimates.org.