NONE BUT THE SLAVE: Thailand’s only surviving gorilla doomed to life behind bars in horror zoo
Situated on the roof of an old Bangkok mall, Bua Noi's enclosure is surrounded by concrete, bars and thick glass, with only a few ropes and car tire for distraction.
ALICE PEACOCK: Thailand’s only surviving gorilla Bua Noi dubbed the ‘world’s loneliest gorilla ‘ is doomed to life in captivity as activists’ attempts to free her during her 30-year confinement remain in vain. The gorilla is one of hundreds of monkeys, birds and reptiles in the privately-run Pata Zoo, situated on the roof of an old Bangkok mall. Her enclosure was surrounded by concrete, bars and thick glass, with only a few ropes and car tire for distraction in what has been referred to as the “horror zoo”…
She was moved to the shopping centre from Germany aged one and has been imprisoned ever since. However, in autumn, the Thai Environment Ministry said the gorilla’s owners wanted 30 million Thai baht (£739,666) for her release before the zoo denied the money request on its Facebook page…
A number of animal rights activists and celebrities such as pop icon Cher have campaigned for Bua Noi to be resettled in an environment where she can spend the last year of her life in dignity, while more than 117,000 people have so far signed a petition on Change.org. “A life of boredom and loneliness is the cruellest fate of all for our primate cousins,” the petition says….
Dutchman Edwin Wiek, the founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand, has offered to take her into his care… Mr Wiek, who has for many years run a nature sanctuary in Phetchaburi, about 200 kilometres from Bangkok, said he did not believe it would be “morally right” to pay a large sum of money for Bua Noi. He went on to claim that he wanted to reach a deal for all of the animals in the zoo, “or at least the primates”.
However, the owners of Pata Zoo did not seem interested and said the gorilla was fine… The owners claimed Bua Noi was too old to adjust to a new environment and was being well cared for… Thailand’s Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa appeared also to draw a line on the matter, saying the zoo had “promised to take care” of the animals and the owner “had the right to do so. situated on the roof of an old Bangkok mall. Her enclosure was surrounded by concrete, bars and thick glass, with only a few ropes and car tire for distraction. SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEOS: