A young gorilla rescued from a plane\u2019s cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials said Sunday, while wildlife officers consider returning him to his natural habitat. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla \u2026 to continue its life in its homeland,\u201d Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, said Sunday. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us.\u201d <\/p>\n
In the weeks since he was found, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of recovering from his traumatic journey. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him,\u201d said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have that shyness now. He doesn\u2019t even care about us much. He plays games by himself.\u201d <\/p>\n
Both gorilla species \u2014 the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa\u2019s remote forests and mountains \u2014 are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. <\/p>\n
As Istanbul emerges as a major air hub between continents, customs officials have increasingly intercepted illegally traded animals. In October, 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were found in an Egyptian passenger\u2019s luggage at the city\u2019s Sabiha Gokcen Airport. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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