Five years after they were stolen from Africa and sold into zoo slavery in Malaysia, four western lowland gorillas have returned to their home in the humid tropical jungle of Cameroon.

And the government of the West African nation has pledged to put an end to wildlife smuggling.

The Taiping Four, as the primates have been dubbed, were greeted as dignitaries when the Kenya Airways jet ferrying them from their temporary home in South Africa touched down in Cameroon on Friday.

On their arrival they began absorbing the sounds and smells from the nearby forest
For the entourage who accompanied the gorillas - the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw), the media, representatives of the private sector and the Taiping Four's zookeepers - it was a moment to savour.

It was the final chapter in a multinational saga which involved dedicated government officials and animal rights activists determined to put an end to the trade in wild animals, which is one of the biggest threats to Africa's biodiversity.

The gorillas made international headlines when the International Primate Protection League discovered that they had been illegally exported from Nigeria to the Taiping Zoo in Malaysia, using forged documents.

Two years later, authorities in Malaysia confiscated the gorillas and gave them to Pretoria Zoo for safekeeping.

The four celebrities - Oyin, Abbey, Tinu and Izan - were unaware of the importance of the celebrations.

The crates containing their cages were transported by truck to the Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary, which will be their home once they are released from a three-month quarantine.

On their arrival they began absorbing the sounds and smells from the nearby forest which filled the humid night air and which they hadn't experienced for five years.

Several people were crowded around the truck as keepers from the sanctuary, Ifaw members and members of the Pandrillus Foundation helped to offload the crates.

Neil Greenwood, Ifaw's campaign researcher, unscrewed the planks of wood from the cages before a crane hoisted each one from the trucks.

With so many people crowding in to catch a glimpse of the gorillas, Oyin, the eldest of the four, seemed irritated and knocked her hand against the roof of the cage.

She was very protective of the others and seemed unhappy about all the attention. Abbey, meanwhile, turned her back on the crowd.

"Welcome back to Cameroon," provincial government official Mbuldi Musa said to Oyin.

He was fascinated by the size of her fingers as she gripped the bars, staring at the crowd. Oyin knocked the bars again.

"This one is powerful," Musa said in amazement. Another person stepped closer to the cage, grinned and waved at Oyin.

"You feel fine coming home?" he asked her.

Izan, the only male, was seemingly fed up and gave a sharp screech. "Ohh, he is very wild," said Musa.

When the last of the four gorillas had been put into the quarantined enclosure, there was a round of applause from the crowd.

Karin Cloete, the curator for primates at Pretoria Zoo, cried on the shoulders of Clifford Nxomani, the executive director of the zoo, who had played an important role in ensuring that the gorillas were safely repatriated.

In the three years of watching closely over her "children" a definite bond had formed.

Wiping tears from her eyes, she composed herself before she spoke.

"They just need to be together to be gorillas and talk to one another. They've been apart for two days and they don't like that. And they didn't like eyes staring at them so closely."

Behind Cloete, the gorillas were exploring their surroundings, feeling the branches of the trees and shaking them to hear the rustling of the leaves.

The whole environment was something new to them, but they were relaxed, said Cloete.

Izan stopped in front of her and turned his back. Cloete bent down to scratch his back.

Moments later he joined the others.

Eight-year-old Abbey, who had refused to eat during the trip, found her appetite again at the sanctuary, as she hungrily polished off slices of watermelon.

At an official ceremony at the weekend, Professor Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, Cameroon's minister of forestry and wildlife, emphasised his country's commitment to "reinforce all measures to combat illegal trading.

"Traffickers of wildlife, beware," he warned.

"We will crush those who have no respect for our wildlife."

Christina Pretorius, Ifaw's spokesperson, said: "The gorillas are back and Cameroon is celebrating.

"Their return marks the end of their saga. This is a victory against illegal wildlife traders.

"The gorillas' high profile is an example of rampant illegal trading and we deeply encourage Cameroon's continuing support of its precious reserve."

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