An illegal wildlife trade racket has been unearthed in Africa. In January 2002, four lowland gorillas from the zoological garden at Nigeria's University of Ibadan were transferred to Taiping Zoo in Malaysia. Now, the secretariat of the global Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (cites) is probing into the alleged plan to export the wild animals using a false permit. It is being enquired whether the export permit had misrepresented the animals' status. The Malaysian and Nigerian governments have been asked to explain their conduct. The permit describes the gorillas as captive-bred which, experts say, is highly unlikely. The gorillas are listed in appendix 1 of cites, which bans the trade for commercial use and allows export only if it does not reduce the population of the species.
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