For Billy t--The Gorilla Arvilla

Your comment about the gorilla in Egypt was heartbreaking which is why there is such a great need for international animal laws. Has any body ever heard about Arvills(above) plight?

You might recall the case of a zoo director from Mexico who was caught in a "sting" operation when he tried to buy a gorilla from the Miami Zoo a couple of years ago. A federal agent dressed up in a gorilla suit and when the criminal zoo director paid for his "gorilla", they busted him, creating a funny story for the media at least. Well, Arilla allegedly was illegally smuggled out of Africa into Spain and then again into Mexico and the man who was caught was trying to smuggle yet another gorilla so she could have company. That man went to jail and Arilla still sits alone,no reputable zoo wants to have anything to do with the zoo that "owns" her, and the two other zoos in Mexico who have gorillas can’t agree to consolidate their animals so that there could be one gorilla family, instead of 3 places with 6 animals. And, since her "papers" are not in good order, it would be difficult at best to get her out of Mexico and into a US zoo, even though this would be a great thing, given the fact she would have brand new, unrepresented genes.