A heartless zoo keeper has demanded £700,000 for the release of the “world’s saddest” gorilla.

Bua Noi had been the target of global campaign groups, with many urging her to be allowed to spend her final years in a sanctuary with other primates.

Many hoped that the owner of the Pata retail mall would release her after she had spent her entire life, all 33 years of existence, confined in a small and filthy enclosure within a Thai shopping centre since 1990.

Despite protests from the government and animal rights group PETA, as well as global celebrity Cher, he has decided to keep the animal in captivity.

And now the owner, who has so far remained anonymous, has notified Thailand’s secretary to the minister of Natural Resources and Environment Thanetpol Thanaboonyawat that he wants 30 million Thai baht (about £700,000) to release her to a sanctuary in Germany.

Thanaboonyawat stated, “We have held activities in the past campaigning for Bua Noi’s release and to raise funds.”

“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.”

“Bua Noi is considered private property so we cannot do anything to remove her.”

“The owner bought Bua Noi before laws were introduced to prevent the trade and ownership of endangered animals and wild animals.”

Bua Noi has been held hostage since she was a year old, about 1990 when the owner imported her from Germany for three million baht.

Surprisingly, the dirty zoo with rusted metal bars is located on the top floor of a decrepit department store in Bangkok, Thailand.

She has been imprisoned in her tight and filthy cage and has never set foot outside the concrete floor, which is heartbreaking.

Bua Noi’s suffering initially came to light in 2015, when animal rights activists sent a petition demanding his release and the closure of the zoo.

At the time, petition organiser Sinjira Apaitan stated, “I don’t think animals should be locked up in such unnatural habitats.”

“I hope to help all other animals being held captive in this high-rise zoo as well.”

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation ordered the zoo to close after discovering that it lacked the necessary paperwork.

It did, however, reopen and keep the gorilla.

According to PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker, Bua Noi is being forced to live in ”horrifying and cruel conditions and is suffering extreme psychological distress.”

He stated, “This shabby facility is internationally condemned as one of the worst zoos in the world.

“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.”

The zoo, on the other hand, denied any agreement to sell the country’s last gorilla.

A spokesman said, “The current team of Pata Pinklao department store executives has been in charge of the management since August 28, 2020.

“Up to now, the executives have never entered any negotiations to sell Bua Noi with anyone or any agencies.”

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