Five years ago, four infant gorillas were smuggled out of Cameroon, and through a long and mostly unknown chain of events they eventually arrived in a zoo in Malaysia. Their new keepers were under the impression that the gorillas originated from a captive breeding program in Nigeria. Such a program does not exist, however, and suspicions were soon aroused that the gorillas were not acquired legally. Trafficking in wild-born gorillas is strictly forbidden by the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and genetic analyses quickly and decisively exposed the real origin of the gorillas as being Cameroonian.

The “Taiping Four,” as they became known throughout the world, found themselves caught in a political storm. An international campaign was instigated to have them returned to Cameroon. They were seized by the Malaysian authorities in 2004 and first transported to the Pretoria Zoo in South Africa, where they lived until last week, while international diplomatic pressure to have them repatriated to Cameroon steadily increased. Finally, on November 29, 2007, they started their journey home, and I was present when they arrived in Limbe.

The journey from South Africa, via Nairobi/Kenya to Douala (by air), and finally by road to Limbe took 18 hours. Females Abbey, Oyin, Tinu, and the only male, Izan (pictured above), each weigh about 100 kilograms (220 pounds), and are all about 6 years old now. They were each transported in their own separate cage but together so they could see each other through the bars of the adjacent cages throughout the journey. Limbe Wildlife Center veterinarian Felix Lankester accompanied them throughout their journey from South Africa and ensured they had as comfortable a journey as possible.

They arrived at Limbe at 7 p.m., accompanied by a motorcade of government vehicles, including the minister of Wildlife and Forestry himself. They were coaxed into their new quarantine enclosure where they will remain for three months before attempting integration into the existing gorilla group. There was a huge posse of onlookers for this final maneuver, and I was amazed to see no less than six film crews from Cameroon, South Africa, Europe, and the United States documenting their arrival.

I went to see Abbey, Oyin, Tinu, and Izan today in their new home. They were sleeping on the cool floor, lazily playing with each other and seemed perfectly relaxed considering their mammoth journey only a few days ago. Access to them for the public will be limited until they are out of quarantine, but the posters, banners, and flags erected by the local schoolchildren to welcome them back to Cameroon will remain for some time yet.

Gorillas can live as long as many humans, so they have a good portion of their lives ahead of them. Although not free, they have hopefully forgotten some of the trauma of their capture. Probably taken from the bodies of their mothers, who may have been killed for the bushmeat trade, they will be in each other’s company, well fed, and receive good medical care for the rest of their lives. After the quarantine period they can expect to be integrated with the other 11 gorillas and there is the possibility of being released into a semi-natural release site in the coming years.

Diplomatic efforts by the government of Cameroon and the media attention of the return of these gorillas to Cameroon may well be an indication of an ever-increasing realization of the importance of wildlife to the country, both real and symbolic. If there is one expectant consequence of the homecoming of the Taiping Four, it is that it will be regarded by future generations as a defining moment in efforts to conserve these most endangered of species in Cameroon.

Dr. Bethan Morgan is a Conservation Research Fellow for the San Diego Zoo.

Here’s more information about Bethan’s research project.
Read Bethan’s previous blog, Hepatitis E.

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