The World Loneliest Gorilla, Living in Mall Cage for 30 Years
VIVA – A 33-year-old gorilla spends most of his life alone in a metal cage on the seventh floor of a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. This gorilla is named Bua Noi. At that time, Bua Noi was one year old when he was put into the cage that has been his permanent home for more than three decades.
Bua Noi is one of the main attractions of the zoo inside the oldest shopping center in Bangkok, Pata Pinklao Department Store.
Launching the Odditycentral page, the owner of the shopping center refused to move Bua Noi to a more suitable location. Despite many requests from animal rights activists and the Thai Government.
To this day, the owner of Bua Noi refuses to let this animal spend the rest of the days in the Sanctuary with other members of his species.
“This shabby facility is internationally condemned as one of the worst zoos in the world,” PETA Senior Vice President, Jason Baker said.
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“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.” He added.
Not only that, but Thailand's Minister of Environment has also stated that he would like to see Bua Noi, whose name means 'Little Lotus', transferred to a wildlife sanctuary but the owner insists on not moving him.
“Bua Noi is considered private property so we cannot do anything to remove her,” The minister of Environment 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.” The minister of Environment added.
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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.
“Those people saw his pictures on the internet and thought he was depressed. But that's how he looks like a human, some have sad faces and some have happy faces," The zoo's director, Kanit Sermsirimongkol said.
Unfortunately, despite international outcry, there's not much anyone can do, unless the zoo owner decides to let him retire after a lifetime of loneliness.
Well, Gorillas can live 35 to 40 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity, so Bua Noi is already in its golden prime.
