Monday, 8 October
2001
THE GUARDIAN, Nigeria
By Chineda Uwaegbulam
Following the
controversial drownings of the primates, concerned
local and foreign conservation bodies are blaming
the Nigerian government for not putting in place
the required machinery for the species' protection.
They are also calling for an official protest
to Egyptian authorities over the atrocity.
Global criticisms
have trailed last week's reported drowning of a baby
gorilla and a baby chimpanzee that were flown to Cairo
airport from Nigeria without permits for endangered
species.
Their owner, who said
they were her pets, brought the gorilla and chimpanzee
from Lagos. Airport veterinarians feared the primates
might have carried diseases that could spread. They
drowned the animals in a container filled with chemicals
because of the risk that contaminated blood could
spill if they chose another method of eliminating
the primates.
Under the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species, permits
are required for the import, export and trade of gorillas,
chimpanzees and other endangered species. Cairo airport
officials had argued over what to do with the two
primates. Veterinarians wanted to kill the gorilla
while wildlife officers wanted to give it to Giza
zoo. The zoo, however, does not have an enclosure
for gorillas.
Non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), medical doctors, virus experts and veterinarians
strongly condemned the cruel killing of the two innocent
animals belonging to highly endangered species. Nigerian
Conservation Foundation (NCF) berated the Federal
Government for not putting the needed machinery in
place for the protection of endangered species in
the country.
According to NCF executive
director, Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano, "it is something
that happens often because our laws are weak. We have
Decree 11 of 1985 that is supposed to protect trade
in endangered species which is faulty. There is no
will among government officials to implement this
decree."
He revealed that in
most big hotels and international airports, there
is a section that is for the sales of goods from endangered
species, which is not right, "Our neighbors -
Ghana and Cameroon - have banned trade in gray parrot
but Nigeria has not."
Dr. Aminu-Kano added
that while the government goes ahead with setting
up machinery for the review of Decree 11 of 1985,
they should implement the existing laws to ensure
that endangered species are protected.
Another group, Journalists
Network for Environmental Conservation (JOUNET) demanded
a probe into the cruel killing of the primates. JOUNET
urged the Nigerian government to press for the trial
of the veterinarians by the Egyptian authorities.
The group's director of campaigns, Mr. Mohammed Abu
said investigation should be carried out to bring
to book any Nigerian involved in the smuggling of
the baby gorilla and baby chimpanzee.
JOUNET believes that
government agencies at the [small portion of hard
copy fax from Africa is illegible - completed text
will be posted as correction] on the implications
of their actions. Mr. Abu pointed out that a lot of
public awareness is needed to ensure that every citizen
becomes a watchdog to save endangered species.
The International
Primate Protection League (IPPL), an international
organisation with 16,000 members in 80 countries,
is outraged at the drowning of the animals. "IPPL
would have been happy to help arrange for the return
of these apes to a sanctuary in Nigeria if only we
had been asked," according to Dr. Shirley McGreal,
chairperson of IPPL.
"We request Nigerian
authorities to protest strongly to Egyptian officials
against this atrocity and to attempt to identify and
punish any Nigerian national involved and the airline
which carries the animals to their death," IPPL
said.
Both the gorilla and
the chimpanzee belong to highly endangered species
protected by the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES to which both Egypt and
Nigeria belong; as well as Cameroon, the country where
the infant apes might have been captured. Gorillas
and chimpanzees are humans' closest relatives in the
animal kingdom. They share over 98 per cent of human's
genetic structure. Because of the high commercial
demand for these species, mother apes are often shot
for their babies.
Dr. Beatrice Hahn
of the University of Alabama, a world famous expert
in the study of viruses carried out by African apes
states, "I find the drowning totally unjustified,
irrational and utterly appalling. There is no scientific
or public health reason for these killings."
For Dr. Eliot Katz,
a veterinarian and president-founder of In Defense
of Animals, "we would have gladly offered to
accept both babies for care and possible rehabilitation.
All things considered, there was no reason for these
little apes to be killed and as a veterinarian, I
am appalled that any person who is supposed to be
a qualified veterinarian would kill innocent animals
with cause."
To Jean Swingle, "as
a veterinarian, I think killing these infant apes
should only have been considered an option if they
had been gravely or terminally ill and their deaths
would have been necessary to prevent them from suffering.
If this had been the case, they certainly should have
been euthanized in an acceptable manner which allowed
for quick and painless death. Death by drowning is
neither quick nor painless."
