The community-driven movement is demanding a professional evaluation by an independent vet, who is a renowned expert in animal translocations. He has agreed to determine if Opal can be safely relocated to a sanctuary, where she can finally experience the dignity and care she deserves, says the organisation.

Nicky Arthur, spokesperson for the North Coast Community 'Get Vocal for Opal' campaign, calls on all friends of animals and the natural environment to throw their weight behind the movement to help the primate, as the world marked International Orangutan Day on 19 August, adds the organisation.

"Opal has endured 45 years of unimaginable isolation in a barren concrete cage at Natal Zoological Gardens, her eyes reflecting a profound despair that no sentient being should ever know," says Arthur.

"We urge every compassionate heart in our community to rally with us now — support our drive to secure an independent veterinary examination that could pave the way for her release and relocation to a sanctuary where she can finally thrive in dignity and freedom. Together, let's give Opal the justice she deserves," Arthur says.

Opal's story is a heart-wrenching symbol of the suffering endured by animals in captivity. Born at the zoo in 1980, she has known only a barren enclosure with minimal enrichment — a makeshift climbing frame that BAT's Prathna Singh calls "pathetic". 

"She looks so completely hopeless," Singh adds. "If you look at her expression, her eyes just seem so lifeless. She has spent her entire life, over four decades, in that enclosure, in that cage."

Smaragda Louw of BAT adds, "Opal's whole story is so very descriptive of all animals in zoos — they are born in a cage, and they literally die in a cage, often alone. They may be a little bit tame, but they are just a shadow of their counterparts in the wild."

Research is finally catching up with what everybody who looks at animals as sentient beings actually knows. -animals have feelings, they can self-recognise and they feel pain, says the organisation.

"Opal's case is fitting to show that animals in zoos have no conservation value and that they have no educational value. They do not belong in zoos, but in their natural habitat," she says.

The plan is urgent and clear: bring in an independent vet to assess Opal's health and determine her eligibility for relocation, with fundraising efforts supported by the North Coast community, adds the organisation.

"We're asking for a vet to come and assess her so that, if she can be relocated, we can work towards a plan to get her professionally moved. If the vet finds it is not in her best interests at this stage of her life then we will accept that," Louw says.

Singh describes Opal's living conditions as "bleak".

"She's got this barren space, and there's a climbing gym that is meant to be her stimulation or enrichment. It's pathetic," Singh says.

BAT believes the community's involvement can amplify its fight to stop animal trading, setting an example for others to take responsibility for animals in their care. Opal's history is steeped in tragedy, says the organisation.

According to media reports, she gave birth to a male baby, but conflicting accounts claim the baby either died of tuberculosis or was relocated to diversify the gene pool, adds the organisation.

In 1982, Opal was featured in a film, The Crazy Jungle Adventure, alongside other animals at the zoo, a testament to her exploitation for entertainment, BAT notes. Despite offers from sanctuaries like the Center for Great Apes in the United States, where Founder Patti Ragan successfully relocated another orangutan, Sandra, from Argentina, Opal remains confined.

"The zoo has claimed that Opal is comfortable and that their veterinarian advises against relocation, but BAT and the community reject this, demanding transparency through the intervention of an independent expert," Louw says.

Support the fundraising for her veterinary assessment, share Opal's story and demand change. 

For more information, visit www.crocworld.co.za. You can also follow BAT on Facebook, or on X.

*Image courtesy of contributor