Solomon Tembang, AfricaNews reporter in Limbe, Cameroon, photo: Lindsay Stark
One of Cameroon's stolen Gorillas of the Taiping Four that were returned to Cameroon some months back has died. The ten-year-old gorilla, named Oyin died on Monday 2 June after a yet to be determined ailment.
According to the Conservator of the Limbe Wildlife Centre, Vincent Ndoh, on 30 November 2007, the female gorilla, Oyin, alongside three others, Izan, Abbey and Tinu, arrived at Limbe from Pretoria Zoo in South Africa.
Between December 2007 and April 2008 they were kept isolated from the Limbe Wildlife Centre resident gorillas, and during this time, apart from a mild respiratory infection that all the four gorillas suffered from and that lasted several days in the first week of February 2008, the gorillas were apparently healthy.
Ndoh said on 24 April, the gorillas were moved to the main gorilla enclosure to join the other 11 gorillas (4 males and 7 females). They were placed in a private annex where they could see and smell but not touch the resident gorillas.
Five days later, on 29 April, Oyin was noted as being moderately depressed. This was also observed on 2 May. Several other observations between 16 to 20 May led to the conclusion by experts that the animal could be suffering from malaria and treatment was begun.
These included examination under anaesthesia, antibiotic and malaria treatment, worming treatment, vitamin injections, faecal analysis, surgery and other health checks.
Failure Of white blood cells
At the end, however, it was observed that the animal’s white blood cell count was falling, a poor prognostic indicator, and other typhoid symptoms.
Oyin remained on intravenous fluid for a very long time and a human surgeon from Douala, Dr Noel was also invited to examine the animal. He concluded that it was a case of typhoid.
According to the expert, the condition of the animal became so grave as it became dehydrated weak and depressed. The only hope therefore was to anaesthetise it for a longer period to facilitate the administration of intravenous fluids for a long period.
Though the process was started at midday on 1 June, the animal dropped dead the following day 2 June at 9; 45 am. A full post mortem was performed on the same day. The primary pathological findings were located in the gastro intestinal tract.
Thereafter, the presumptive cause of death was found to be “septicaemia secondary to chronic colonic and caecal infection of an unknown origin”.
Multiple histo-pathological tissue samples have been taken to assist in the diagnosis of the case referred to as unusual. The samples collected include liver, kidney, spleen, mesenteric lymph node, jejunum, lungs and other stomach content.
They are expected to be exported to Germany in the days ahead for the full postmortem to be carried out.
Vincent Ndoh also indicated that for this to be done, a CITES permit (Convention For The International Trade In Endangered Species) must be obtained.
The dead of Oyin has been received with greave by wildlife conservators around the world.
For Carin Cloete, a primate curator at the Pretoria zoo where the gorillas were lodged before their return to Cameroon, whe felt like she has just lost a child.
“Even now I can’t think straight. I just think of the last time I saw her and it leaves me helpless that I wasn’t there for her,” the curator said.
The Taiping Four
The four gorillas popularly known to as the Taiping Four are believed to have been smuggled from Cameroon through Nigeria to the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia in 2001.However upon arrival there, CITES observed that the documents on the origin of the gorillas had been falsified. An investigation was opened and it was found out that the animal were from Cameroon.
The National Zoo of Pretoria in South Africa offered to lodge the animals until the right time for their return. .During their stay there, they became a favourite to the millions of visitors
In 2007, a logistic plan for the return of the gorillas was drafted and the International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW) agreed to fund the repatriation.
Other organisations that equally lobbied for the return of the animals include the Born Free Foundation, The Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance (PASA), the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) and the Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA).
The animals finally got to the Limbe Wildlife Centre on 30 November 2007 and were offered a red carpet reception by Cameroon’s Inter-ministerial Gorilla Reception Committee headed by the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Professor Elvis Ngolle Ngolle.
One of Cameroon's stolen Gorillas of the Taiping Four that were returned to Cameroon some months back has died. The ten-year-old gorilla, named Oyin died on Monday 2 June after a yet to be determined ailment.
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