Outcry over sale of Namibian elephant calves to zoo

EXPERTS have condemned Namibia’s plans to export five infant elephants as a breach of international agreements and causing unnecessary trauma to the animals.

Namibia’s environmental authorities have issued the necessary Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) export permit for the sale of five calves by Eden Game Farm in Grootfontein to a zoo in Dubai.

Namibia’s elephants are listed on Cites Appendix ll with an annotation which limits the sale of live elephants to in situ conservation projects.

“By sanctioning this sale, they are undermining this agreement. The proposed transfer to a zoo in Dubai clearly fails to respect this restriction, so it would appear that such a sale would be in breach of the annotation, and therefore might fall foul of international rules,” says a letter addressed to Cites by Michele Pickover.

According to Namibia’s Environmental Department, the sale is allowed under Cites regulations as long as it doesn’t threaten the long-term survival of the species and that the elephants would not be used primarily for commercial purposes.

But specialists disagree: “With their elephant population listed under Cites Appendix II, their attempt to possibly exploit the text stipulated by the annotation and restrictions regarding live trade of elephants under this listing is unacceptable and must be challenged,” said Humane Society International’s Audrey Delsink.

“If approved, this sets a dangerous precedent, both in how elephants are managed and how international treaties may be manipulated, and must be rectified.”

Pickover urged Cites to confirm the legal parameters of Namibia’s trade in elephants: “Can the secretariat confirm that the intention of the annotation attached to the Appendix II listing for Namibia’s elephants is to restrict all live elephant exports from Namibia to bona fide in situ conservation projects, and not to allow exports that are clearly commercial in nature, serve no conservation purpose, and come with serious potential implications for the welfare of the animals concerned.”

The five calves, aged four to eight years old, will be taken from their mothers before being isolated and “tamed” for transfer.

The capturing of elephants has been globally condemned as there is no conservation value in displaying wild-caught animals in captivity, and also that the practice is cruel and unethical. These concerns are recognised in South Africa’s norms and standards for the management of elephants, which prohibit the capture of wild elephants for captivity.

“The sales of wild elephants can create a perverse financial incentive for other countries to engage in poor conservation practices, disguising the sales as conservation, wildlife management or as ‘rescues’,” says a report.

Research has shown that elephants are sentient beings which are highly dependent on family bonds and do not thrive in captivity. The removal of calves is extremely traumatic, causing severe depression and health implications.

Pickover emphasised: “There is a critical mass of evidence to show that wildcaught elephants do not fare well in captivity. These young elephants will still be highly dependent on their mothers and family groups, and their removal will cause huge stress and anxiety for them.”

‘If approved, this sets a dangerous precedent’