Rescued baby gorilla still trapped in turkish zoo one year after dramatic wildlife trafficking bust

In a heartbreaking case that highlights the ongoing crisis of wildlife trafficking, a baby gorilla rescued from smugglers in December 2024 remains confined to a Turkish zoo despite promises he would be relocated to an African sanctuary. The 5-month-old western lowland gorilla, later named Zeytin (meaning “olive” in Turkish), was discovered by customs officials at Istanbul airport in shocking conditions—malnourished, wearing a dirty t-shirt, and crammed into a wooden crate falsely labeled as containing 50 rabbits.

The infant gorilla was being illegally transported from Nigeria to Bangkok without any permits, violating CITES international wildlife protection laws that prohibit commercial trade in great apes. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered, making this trafficking attempt particularly devastating for conservation efforts. After the rescue made international headlines, Turkish authorities placed Zeytin in Istanbul’s Polonezköy Zoo and announced plans to quickly transfer him to an African sanctuary where he could potentially be rehabilitated and released into the wild.

However, more than a year later, those promises remain unfulfilled. As of September 2025, Zeytin continues living in isolation at the same zoo, facing the lonely captive existence that many hoped he had escaped. According to primate expert Aslıhan Niksarlı from the Jane Goodall Institute, Turkey lacks adequate facilities to meet a gorilla’s complex physical, social, and psychological needs—particularly problematic since there are no other gorillas in the country for companionship. Zeytin’s case underscores both the brutality of wildlife trafficking and the challenges of providing proper care for rescued animals.