7 September 2007
Bon voyage to the young Western Lowland gorillas as they return to their
ancestral land.
All media are invited to attend.
Event details:
Date: 14 September 2007, Friday
Time: 12h00
Venue: National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria
The event will mark the official announcement in respect of the plans toward
the relocation of the "taiping four" to their country of origin, Cameroon.
The Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, will deliver
the keynote address and wish the gorillas Godspeed on their final journey
home.
The happy ending to this five-year saga is the result of the successful
collaboration between the governments of South Africa, Malaysia and Cameroon,
civil society through the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the
private sector, Kenya Airways, who will fly the animals to Cameroon.
The four young gorillas, one male and three females, were on route to the
Taiping Zoo in Malaysia, in 2002, when it was discovered that their Convention
International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) documents had been forged.
The Malaysian government subsequently confiscated the animals and, in keeping
with Cites, transferred the animals for safekeeping to South Africa's National
Zoological Gardens in Pretoria where they have been housed since 2004.
Reservation:
Zama Mthethwa
Tel: 012 843 6781
Cell: 082 808 3956
E-mail: zama.mthethwa@dst.gov.za
Enquiries:
Kristin Klose
Department of Science and Technology
Cell: 082 902 9503
E-mail: Kristin.klose@dst.gov.za
Christina Pretorius
IFAW Southern Africa
Tel: 021 424 2086
Cell: 082 330 2558
E-mail: cpretorius@ifaw.org
Craig Allenby
National Zoological Gardens
Tel: 012 328 3265
Cell: 082 908 3137
E-mail: craig@zoo.ac.za
Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
7 September 2007
