The export of four young elephants from Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park in November last year to China, has sparked outrage in conservation circles.
The elephants have been separated from their families, endured a long journey, and have been exposed to freezing weather conditions and confinement.
According to the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF), one has reportedly already died, and the remaining three are in bad health.
“We are very concerned because we believe this constitutes cruelty to animals. Some elephants do not survive the stress caused by such long trips, not to mention the fact that the ones that do survive will be subjected to a life of captivity in a Chinese zoo,” said a statement on the organisation’s website.
In an update published on January 5, the ZCTF said the Animals Asia Foundation claimed to have a number of volunteers monitoring the progress of the elephants.
Two of the animals reportedly went to Taiyuan Zoo in Taiyuan, one of which subsequently died. The other two reportedly went to Xinjiang Tianshan Safari Park.
“We believe the temperature at the Xinjiang Tianshan Safari Park is lower than -20C. It is highly unlikely the elephants will survive in the cold when they have been accustomed to temperatures of between 30C and 40C,” continued the statement.
The ZCTF said there were allegedly another 14 elephants waiting to be exported this month.
For more information, see www.zctfofficialsite.org
