Why Bua Noi needs a sanctuary
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Why Bua Noi needs a sanctuary

This file photo dated Jan 14, 2020 shows Bua Noi, a gorilla living at a zoo on the top floor of Pata Department Store since she was three years old. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
This file photo dated Jan 14, 2020 shows Bua Noi, a gorilla living at a zoo on the top floor of Pata Department Store since she was three years old. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

Animals at Pata Zoo in Bangkok are condemned to prison for life. Among them is Bua Noi, a gorilla whose existence has been reduced to staring blankly at a television screen from her enclosure, as seen in a viral video. This isn't the life she deserves. Gorillas need freedom, not television.

Bua Noi has been imprisoned behind iron bars on the top floor of a department store for almost 40 years. This is her reality -- a stark contrast to the life she could have at a reputable sanctuary. For over a decade, PETA has advocated for her freedom, offering to transfer her and other animals to sanctuaries that would provide them with the space, social interaction, and naturalistic environments they need for a healthy, happy life. So far, these offers have been rejected.

Gorillas have complex social relationships that are central to their lives, which revolve around their families. These intelligent primates are quiet, peaceful, and self-aware. Like you and me, they love, laugh, sing, play, and grieve. They also make tools. According to one National Geographic publication, they use sticks to determine the depth of rivers and streams, make ladders from bamboo to help their babies reach the treetops, and even fashion "cutlery" from twigs to scoop up stinging insects to snack on. Activities like these support their mental and physical health, but when they're imprisoned to be gawked at like mere props, they're denied almost everything that makes their lives meaningful.

Bua Noi's life in solitary confinement -- with only sporadic human interaction and no gorilla companionship -- bears no resemblance to the life she deserves. No amount of TV can replace the bond she would share with her gorilla family or the stimulation of her forest home. But in a sanctuary, enrichment would mimic the complexity of nature, providing the mental and physical experiences that keep animals engaged and healthy.

Dr Lisa Jones-Engel, a renowned primate expert at PETA US, has witnessed the profound transformation that occurs when animals are relocated from inadequate facilities to true sanctuaries: "When these animals were carefully and lovingly moved to a sanctuary, they began to flourish as they touched grass, scaled trees, breathed fresh air, made choices, and experienced nature." This is a beacon of hope for Bua Noi.

PETA stands ready to facilitate her transfer and that of the other animals confined at Pata Zoo to facilities where they could thrive in an environment that would allow them to roam, socialise, and engage in other behaviours crucial to their well-being.

Please urge Pata Zoo's owner to transfer Bua Noi to a sanctuary, and please never support facilities that keep animals confined for entertainment, including roadside zoos. We can help eliminate the greedy businesses that imprison animals for human amusement, and we must demand that individuals like Bua Noi be allowed to enjoy vastly improved lives.

The sight of Bua Noi staring hopelessly at a TV should prompt deep reflection on how animals are treated. Every animal is someone, and everyone, no matter their species, deserves to live free with their family in their natural home (or if that's not possible, in a naturalistic environment). Let's add our voices to the public outcry against Bua Noi's imprisonment until her captors release her to a sanctuary where she could enjoy the life she has so far been denied.


Jason Baker is PETA Asia Senior Vice President.

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