A young gorilla rescued from the cargo hold of a plane is on the road to recovery at a zoo in Istanbul, Turkey.
According to CNN, wildlife experts deliberate on the possibility of returning him to his natural habitat.
The five-month-old gorilla was found last month inside a box on a Turkish Airlines flight traveling from Nigeria to Thailand.
After a public naming contest, he has been christened Zeytin, meaning Olive, and is currently being cared for at Polonezkoy Zoo.
“Of course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla … to continue its life in its homeland,” said Fahrettin Ulu, Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks’ regional director. “What is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us.”
Since his discovery, Zeytin has shown remarkable improvement. He has gained weight and is beginning to recover from the ordeal of his harrowing journey.
“When he first came, he was very shy, he would stay where we left him,” explained veterinarian Gulfem Esmen. “He doesn’t have that shyness now. He doesn’t even care about us much. He plays games by himself.”
Both species of gorillas — western and eastern — native to the dense forests and mountain regions of Central Africa, are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
As Istanbul continues to grow as a key global transit hub, customs officers have intercepted an increasing number of trafficked animals.
Just last October, authorities at Sabiha Gokcen Airport seized 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards concealed in the luggage of an Egyptian passenger.
