After more than 32 years, a gorilla in Thailand remains confined to a cage built over a high-rise mall because the zoo’s owner refused to free the animal to a sanctuary for less than $780,000. The elderly gorilla named “Bua Noi” translated to mean “Little Lotus” (a symbol of purity and strength) arrived at the Bankok’s Pata shopping mall in 1990 when she was just a baby.
For years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Asia) have appealed to the zoo’s owner hoping to free the gorilla and reunite her with other gorillas for the remainder of her life. In July 2022, advocates were a bit more optimistic.
Up until now, our requests have been ignored, but following a very productive meeting with the Thai Government last week, we are finally in a position to speak face-to-face with Kanit. We are now awaiting a confirmed date, arranged by the Government, to meet with him and a number of Thai Ministers in Bangkok. This meeting will aim to address global concerns over Bua Noi and the other primates’ welfare, along with proposals from ourselves and the Aspinall Foundation, to move all of them to reputable sanctuaries at no cost to the zoo, nor the government.
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In the wild, gorillas have the average lifespan of 40 years, but if properly cared for both physically and emotionally, they can live more than 50 years. Unfortunately living in confinement and possibly substandard care, it is feared she will never know what it is like to live with other gorillas and enjoy the freedoms hopefully awarded to her.
Little Lotus was given the title of “World’s Saddest Gorilla” by PETA after an inspection of the gorilla’s awful living conditions. Even though the Thai Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa has pressed for the gorilla’s release, the price for her freedom remains the same. The government has continued fundraising activities but still has not met the price.
Little Lotus is considered private property and the government has no authority to demand the gorilla’s release. Since that time, the laws have changed, which now prevent the trade and ownership of endangered and wild animals, but this poor gorilla was purchased before the law changed.
Once the meeting with Mr Kanit [zoo director] and the Government is scheduled, Free The Wild’s Trustees will fly out to Bangkok to present Bua’s case once and for all. None of this would be possible without your support – your donations allow us to travel to these meetings, investigate these cases, transport these animals and support the sanctuaries and people that eventually take these animals in.
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According to the New York Post, Kanit maintains the gorilla has spent her life at the zoo and is accustomed to the environment citing the surroundings as a “disease free place for more than 30 years.” He also attributes the sad look on the gorilla’s face as her “natural facial expression.”
We have been taking care of Bua Noi like our own daughter. I know that we will have to find her a suitable new home one day, but it’s not good idea to immediately release her back into the wild without teaching her how to survive on her own.
Kanit
PETA Asia Senior Vice President Jason Baker contends the ” facility is internationally condemned as one of the worst zoos in the world.”
Check her petition here.
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