This critically endangered<\/a> western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) was being smuggled to an animal farm in Bangkok without any export permits or paperwork. All great apes, including gorillas, are afforded the highest protection under CITES, an international treaty regulating wildlife trade, making commercial transnational trade illegal. They can be transferred between zoos or exported for scientific research but require official paperwork.<\/p>\n After the seizure made global headlines<\/a>, Turkish authorities sent Zeytin to Polonezk\u00f6y Zoo in Istanbul. Meanwhile, they said they were working to imminently dispatch him to a sanctuary in Africa, where he could possibly be released into the wild.<\/p>\n But one year on, those plans seem to have bitten the dust. As of September 2025, Zeytin was seen languishing<\/a> in the same zoo, living a lonely life in a cage \u2014 the very life many thought he had escaped.<\/p>\n \u201cAt present, T\u00fcrkiye does not have adequate facilities to meet the long-term physical, social and psychological needs of a gorilla,\u201d said primate expert Asl\u0131han Niksarl\u0131 at the Jane Goodall Institute<\/a> who directs Roots & Shoots T\u00fcrkiye<\/a>. \u201cThere are also no other gorillas in the country, which means that Zeytin continues to live in isolation.\u201d Niksarl\u0131 has worked with the Turkish authorities since the seizure, supporting his care.<\/p>\n Gorillas, like humans, are social beings. They need the company of their own kind to thrive. In the wild, they live in hierarchical family groups and develop complex bonds with each other, said Jacqueline L. Sunderland-Groves, a member of an IUCN group focused on great apes.<\/p>\n \u201cZeytin\u2019s current situation provides no opportunity to live with other western lowland gorillas,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is never recommended to keep a gorilla alone in captivity.\u201d<\/p>\n Only a tiny fraction of seized wildlife ever returns to the wild. \u201cReintroduction is a notoriously difficult process that takes years of careful planning, at least 5 to 10 years, and significant financial commitment,\u201d Iris Ho, head of campaigns and policy at the U.S.-based nonprofit Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), said in an email. \u201cShrinking wild habitats due to human activities make it extra challenging to find suitable locations for successful reintroduction.\u201d<\/p>\n But the decision to keep Zeytin locked up in a zoo will rule out reintroduction altogether. Captured as an infant, Zeytin has already missed out on the constant care he\u2019d have received from his mother and the essential social and survival skills he\u2019d have learned from her and other family members as a young gorilla. Without these skills, life in the wild would be impossible. He\u2019d be forced to remain in a zoo.<\/p>\n \u201cA zoo is a completely different environment to a gorilla\u2019s natural environment, and one where Zeytin is being exposed to human pathogens, whilst at the same time gradually losing his ability to tolerate pathogens present in his natural habitat,\u201d Sunderland-Groves said. \u201cIf he remains in T\u00fcrkiye, there will be no opportunity for integration with other young gorillas or for possible reintroduction.\u201d<\/p>\n Turkish authorities confirmed<\/a> in August 2025 that they were working to send Zeytin to the Drill Ranch<\/a>, a primate sanctuary in Nigeria. That sanctuary hosts primates, including great apes such as gorillas and chimpanzees and is accredited by PASA, which has a network of primate sanctuaries in Africa.<\/p>\n Kadir \u00c7ok\u00e7etin, general director of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s Nature Conservation and National Parks department responsible for Zeytin\u2019s custody and care, told<\/a> local media in August that talks were in the \u201cfinal phase\u201d for his rehabilitation. Turkish Airlines would be flying him home, he said, adding, \u201cWe hope to send Zeytin back to Nigeria very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n But a month later, Turkish authorities announced<\/a> they\u2019d nixed the plan, and Zeytin will remain in the country permanently. That decision followed DNA tests, which revealed he was not native to Nigeria. Officials told<\/a> local media they couldn\u2019t repatriate him under international wildlife trade rules and would rather have him live his life as a zoo attraction.<\/p>\n Sunderland-Groves from IUCN\u2019s great apes group says, \u201cIdeally, trafficked apes should be returned to the country of origin if there is suitable care available there.\u201d<\/p>\n CITES recommends<\/a> returning confiscated live animals to the country of export. \u201cWhen the country of origin is unknown or there is no suitable sanctuary available in-country, the priority is for the animal to receive care by a reputable sanctuary located within the species or subspecies\u2019 geographic range,\u201d Sunderland-Groves said. Such sanctuaries not only have trained staff who can care for complex species such as gorillas but also have other individuals of the same species for socialization.<\/p>\n In Zeytin\u2019s case, authorities know he was exported from Nigeria, but no one knows exactly where he came from because his traffickers weren\u2019t arrested. Western lowland gorillas inhabit the forests of West and Central Africa, all the way from Cameroon to Angola and the Congo Basin.<\/p>\n At Nigeria\u2019s Drill Ranch, Zeytin would be in the company of another young western lowland gorilla.<\/p>\n \u201cZeytin could be housed with [the juvenile] until both gorillas could be transferred to a range country sanctuary,\u201d Sunderland-Groves said. She added that a specialized sanctuary<\/a> in the Republic of Congo, which is within the western lowland gorilla\u2019s native range, could be an ideal home for both. \u201cThey could be integrated with similar aged gorillas confiscated from illegal trade and rehabilitated for possible release into the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n Since their October decision to keep the baby gorilla, Turkish authorities have remained mum about his whereabouts and well-being, conservationists say. \u201cI am keen to learn from the Turkish government [about] the welfare status of Zeytin since we have not seen any social media posts or other updates by the government,\u201d PASA\u2019s Ho said. \u201cWe also have no information about which zoo will house Zeytin following the government\u2019s announcement last October.\u201d<\/p>\n At the November meeting of CITES delegates in Uzbekistan, Zeytin\u2019s case was mentioned during a discussion about the Great Apes Enforcement Task Force<\/a>, an international network to strengthen law enforcement for gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans that are trafficked worldwide. Speaking there on behalf of several conservation organizations, Ho urged T\u00fcrkiye to reconsider its decision to keep Zeytin in \u201csolitary captivity indefinitely\u201d and repatriate him to Africa so he has \u201ca chance at reintroduction in the wild.\u201d But there has been no commitment to do so, she said.<\/p>\n Mongabay reached out to CITES authorities in T\u00fcrkiye and Nigeria to seek an update on Zeytin\u2019s repatriation but did not receive a response before publication.<\/p>\n \u201cT\u00fcrkiye has a track record of responsible and commendable repatriation of confiscated animals to Africa,\u201d Ho said, referring to the country\u2019s decision to return<\/a> 112 confiscated African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2024. \u201cI hope that T\u00fcrkiye will reconsider its decision and repatriate Zeytin to Africa, where he belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n Fueled by increasing demand for exotic pets, gorillas and chimpanzees continue to be smuggled to countries across the world, used in tourist attractions and trafficked to meet increasing demand for exotic pets, according to a recent PASA report<\/a>. Some of the legally traded individuals have questionable origins, it said. How Zeytin\u2019s case is handled could show the world\u2019s commitment \u2014 or lack of it \u2014 to the future of our closely related cousins.<\/p>\n \u201cWith every great ape species at risk of extinction, each individual is a priority for conservation,\u201d Sunderland-Groves said. \u201cProsecuting the individuals responsible for this criminal activity, together with returning Zeytin to a country within his subspecies range, sends a strong message that great ape trafficking will not be tolerated, and that countries are willing to cooperate to address the poaching and illegal trade that threatens our closest relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n Ho said her organization stands ready to provide support to the Turkish government, should authorities choose to reconsider their decision and return the gorilla to his native Africa. \u201cOur goal is to ensure Zeytin\u2019s best long-term well-being and to give him an opportunity to live among his peers, with eventual reintroduction in his natural wild habitat when appropriate and feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n Banner image: A photo of Zeytin posted by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Facebook in December 2024. No further updates have been provided since the country announced it will not send Zeytin back to Africa. Image courtesy of Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry via Facebook.<\/p>\n Spoorthy Raman is a staff writer at Mongabay, covering all things wild with a special focus on lesser-known wildlife, the wildlife trade and environmental crime.<\/p>\n FEEDBACK: Use this form<\/a> to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n Related articles:<\/p>\n Chimpanzees and gorillas among most traded African primates, report finds<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Gorillas,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4-David-Robichaud-768x512.jpg\")
Gorillas, like humans, are social beings and live in large family groups that teach young gorillas life skills. These apes do not fare well in isolation and captivity. Image \u00a9 David Robichaud via iNaturalist<\/a> (CC BY-NC 4.0<\/a>).
\nA DNA test that reversed Zeytin\u2019s future<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_9725-768x512.jpeg\")
A screengrab of a reel posted by the Turkish Ministry on Facebook after Zeytin was rescued and rehabilitated in a zoo. Image by T.C. Tar\u0131m ve Orman Bakanl\u0131\u011f\u0131 via Facebook.
\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_9727-768x512.jpeg\")
A screengrab of a reel posted by the Turkish Ministry on Facebook after Zeytin was rescued and rehabilitated in a zoo. Image by T.C. Tar\u0131m ve Orman Bakanl\u0131\u011f\u0131 via Facebook.
\nConservationists urge T\u00fcrkiye to send Zeytin home<\/p>\n![\"Gorillas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/5-seanbrogan-768x512.jpg\")
Gorillas and chimpanzees are the most trafficked great apes from Africa, according to a recent report from PASA. Traffickers kill the entire family before they smuggle young ones from the wild. Image \u00a9 seanbrogan via iNaturalist<\/a> (CC BY-NC 4.0<\/a>).<\/p>\n
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