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A 33-year-old gorilla who has spent most of her life alone inside a
metal cage on the seventh floor of a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand,
has been dubbed the world’s loneliest gorilla.
Bua Noi was only one when she was put into the cage that would become
her permanent home for more than three decades. She was one of the main
attractions of a bizarre zoo – if one could even call it that – inside
Bangkok’s oldest shopping mall, Pata Pinklao Department Store, and
owners refused to relocate her to a more suitable location, despite
numerous requests from animal rights activists and the Thai Government.
Even today, Bua Noi’s owners refuse to let her live out the rest of her
days in a sanctuary, with other members of her species.
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“This shabby facility is internationally condemned as one of the worst
zoos in the world,” PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker said. “I urge
everyone to keep the pressure on Pata Zoo and to demand that it let PETA
help retire these animals to reputable sanctuaries that would meet their
physical and mental needs.”
Thailand’s environment minister has also stated that he wants to see Bua
Noi, whose name means ‘Little Lotus’, transferred to a wildlife
sanctuary where she can “experience her homeland and be with other
gorillas,” but one of his secretaries has made it very clear that the
gorilla is private property and the owner’s permission is required to
have her relocated.
“Bua Noi is considered private property so we cannot do anything to
remove her,’ Thanetpol Thanaboonyawat said. “The owner bought Bua Noi
before laws were introduced to prevent the trade and ownership of
endangered animals and wild animals. We collected donations from Bua
Noi’s supporters. But the problem is that the owner refuses to sell Bua
Noi. When he does agree to sell her, the price is too high.”
According to Thai news sources, Bua Noi’s owner is asking for around
$800,000 to set the gorilla free, but the company that owns the zoo has
denied any negotiation to sell the animal. Its representatives insist
that the gorilla is well taken care of and that she hasn’t suffered any
physical or mental stress.
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“Those people saw the picture of her on the internet and assume she’s
depressed. But that’s how she looks just like humans – some have a sad
face and some have a happy face,” zoo director Kanit Sermsirimongkol
said. “The criticism doesn’t concern me, because we know her best.”
Unfortunately, despite the international outcry, there isn’t much anyone
can do, unless the zoo’s owners decide to let her retire after a
lifetime of loneliness. Gorillas can live 35 to 40 years in the wild and
up to 50 years in captivity, so Bua Noi is already going into her golden
years.
Bua Noi’s sad story is reminiscent of another tragedy we covered a few
years back – the sad story of Honey, the world’s loneliest dolphin, who
died alone in an abandoned Japanese waterpark.
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