Fwd:Wild Elephant Trade Unabated: SPCA

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" Melissa Groo " <melgroo

Thursday, March 20, 2003 9:05 AM

Wild Elephant Trade " Unabated " : SPCA

 

 

> Melissa Groo

> Save the Elephants News Service Researcher

> melgroo

> -----

> WILD ELEPHANT TRADE " UNABATED " : SPCA

> South African Press Association

> March 19, 2003

>

> Seven young, wild elephants have been removed from their herds in a

private

> game reserve in the North West province and are being held pending export

to

> foreign zoos, the NSPCA said on Thursday. Inspector Rick Allan of the

> National Council of SPCAs said the elephants had been found on Wednesday

on

> the premises of Mafunyane, an animal trading firm in the province. Allan

> said: " Unconfirmed reports indicate that the destination of some of these

> young elephants may be a Mexican zoo. The dealer is allegedly a Canadian

> national. " The NSPCA also visited African Game Services, an animal

trading

> firm owned by Riccardo Ghiazza, one of those accused of cruelty to

animals

> in the long-running Tuli elephants case. Allan said while it was not

illegal

> to put wild elephants in zoos --provided permits to do so were issued by

> provincial nature conservation departments -- it was cruel to do so.

> Exporting wild elephants also raised ethical concerns, Allan said.

" Africa

> is being used as the source of elephants to re-stock zoo populations. If

> zoos play a conservation role as a genetic resource, then, surely it

should

> be the other way round. Our concerns begin with the point of capture and

> forcible removal from their mothers and herds through to transportation,

> method of training and facilities at the end-destination. " " Even if legal

> requirements have been met and the planned export is within the law, the

> moral and ethical issues remain. " The elephants were condemned to a

lifetime

> of captivity without the companionship of animals from their own herds

and

> in conditions and climates which might not be comparable to their natural

> environment. Allan said the NSPCA had repeatedly requested copies of the

> permits issued by the North West Province Nature Conservation relating to

> the elephants in question, but had not received them by Wednesday

afternoon.

> Deon Swart, deputy director of conservation services in North West, said

the

> permits had been issued. He could not explain why they had not yet

reached

> the NSPCA, nor why they could not be faxed to them, but insisted that

" they

> were in the process " and would reach the NSPCA soon. Swart insisted that

his

> department had a good relationship with the NSPCA.

> -----

> For further information on elephants please see Save the Elephants' web

site

> at http://www.savetheelephants.org

>

>

>

>

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