No more monkeying around as gorillas return home

PASSENGERS TRAVELLING on Kenya Airways flight KQ463 to Nairobi were able to upgrade from a B-737 to a B-767 last Thursday night… and get away with it. It was all thanks to four young gorillas who were finally repatriated to their home in Cameroon, West Africa, victims of an illegal export operation in 2002. The gorillas arrived at the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG) from Malaysia in 2004 for DNA profiling which revealed Cameroon as their native country. And so began the task of returning them home. After an initial stumble in 2006, Kenya Airways received the go-ahead from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in June to prepare to take the T4 Gorillas home. “We have been preparing for this for months as the welfare of the animals is the main priority,” said Dawn Bailey, regional cargo manager of Kenya Airways Cargo. “Our planning has involved the aircraft upgrade, intense liaison with the handling agent and customs pre-clearances.” “Ultimately the clearance is at the discretion of customs, but the vet who travels with the gorillas will give the green light to customs on that side. Customs will almost always listen to the vet,” adds handling manager for the move, Rudi Buitenbos from Swissport Cargo Services. The ventilated, temperature-controlled environment meant the gorillas did not know whether they were in the air or on the ground. “We took every possible step to ensure they were perfectly comfortable on their journey,” said Bailey.