Zimbabwe has justified its decision to send 62 baby elephants to zoos in China, France, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), arguing that the country is facing an overpopulation issue with elephants.
According to officials, the nation’s elephant population is 80,000, but the land and resources can only support 42,000.
The deal breakdown shows China requesting 27 elephants, the UAE seeking 15, and France between 15 and 20.
However, conservationists have criticized these agreements, calling them “ethically unconscionable.”
Jerry Gotora, head of Zimbabwe’s parks and wildlife management authority, said the country’s elephant population is unsustainable.
Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe’s tourism minister, added that the funds from these sales will be used to support the nation’s parks.
While these legal sales are intended to address population issues, they are minuscule compared to the 30,000 elephants killed each year to meet China’s demand for ivory. The sales have sparked a broader debate over the ethics of the wild animal trade.
South Africa, for example, is pushing for the legalization of the rhino horn trade. The country houses 73% of the world’s wild rhinoceroses and argues that the ban has failed. Legalizing the trade, they claim, could help reduce poaching.
However, critics believe such actions would only increase illegal demand, as seen with past exceptions for ivory sales authorized by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Frank Pope, from the charity Save The Elephants, condemned separating young elephants from their mothers, stressing that these animals are highly intelligent and socially aware.
Cynthia Moss, director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, echoed this sentiment, labeling removing baby elephants “despicable.”
She pointed to previous shipments, noting that one calf from Zimbabwe now lives alone in a cage in Taiyuan Zoo, China.
Although trading African elephants is generally banned due to their endangered status, Zimbabwe is one of four countries—alongside South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia—granted an exemption by CITES in 1997.
This allows the country to legally trade live animals to what CITES defines as “appropriate and acceptable destinations.”
CITES has stated that African elephants in Zimbabwe are not considered at immediate risk of extinction.
Read more Elephant News.
