Baby gorilla recovering at Istanbul zoo after being rescued from Turkish Airlines cargo hold

A five-month-old gorilla is recovering at a zoo in Istanbul after it was rescued last month from a box in the cargo hold of a Turkish Airlines plane, ABC News reports. The aircraft was en route from Nigeria to Thailand via Turkey.

Not a first time: Istanbul customs officials have increasingly intercepted attempts to illegally trade animals, due to its position as a major hub for transits between continents. At Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport, around 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were discovered in an Egyptian passenger’s luggage back in October.

What’s next for Zeytin? The baby gorilla — named Zeytin — will stay at the zoo while wildlife officers deliberate returning him to his natural habitat. “What we want and desire is for the baby gorilla to continue its life in its homeland,” Istanbul nature conservation and national parks regional director Fahrettin Ulu said.