Six young wild elephants brutally captured in South Africa! Monday, 6:31 PM
IFAW: Young elephants snatched from wild with conservation approval

Mon, 24 Apr 2006

(Cape Town, South Africa - 24 April 2006) Six young wild elephants were forcibly removed from their herd last week and condemned to lives of abuse as safari elephants - with the full approval of South Africa's conservation authorities.

The elephants have been taken to the training facility of Elephants For Africa Forever (EFAF), a centre which notoriously supplies "tamed and trained" elephants to elephant-back safari tourism operations throughout South Africa.

Permits allowing the capture were issued by Limpopo Province and, according to the main shareholder of Selati Game Reserve from where the animals were taken; the event was monitored by a senior representative of the National Council of the Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA).

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org) said the issuing of permits for the removal of the elephant and the presence of an NSPCA representative, virtually rubberstamps the abuses inherent in capturing wild elephants and subjecting them to lives in captivity.

"Taking elephants from the wild for elephant-back safari tourism, subjects the animals to entirely unregulated training methods that are open to abuse. No dedicated laws exist in South Africa that govern methods used in training elephants," said Jason Bell-Leask, IFAW Director Southern Africa.

"Granting permits that allow the removal of young elephant from their family groups is contrary to the policy of our premier national park, the Kruger National Park, which says it is not appropriate to separate family groups.

"The fact that Limpopo granted these permits, and that the NSPCA was actually present when the animals were taken from their herd sends a message that dignifies the exploitation and abuse of elephant for profit."

The six elephants - estimated to be between six and nine years old - were taken from their herd in the Selati Game Reserve, near Phalaborwa in the Limpopo Province on Easter Monday, as a helicopter was used to frighten off the bigger group. Gunshot was reportedly used to scare off a young bull elephant that repeatedly tried to reach the captured youngsters.

In addition a further two young members of the herd were darted and immobilised before being rejected as unsuitable candidates for the safari industry.

"Over and above the forced removal of the six elephants, the completely unnecessary darting of a further two is nothing more than animal abuse and should be condemned outright. It demonstrates the entirely callous nature of the elephant-back safari tourism industry as being one that has no conservation value whatsoever - and one that doesn't even pretend to the slightest veneer of one," said Bell-Leask.

"The elephant-back safari tourism industry typically claims that it is 'saving' young elephants from sure death in 'culls'. IFAW disagrees - they are taking elephants from the wild to be subjected to confinement and training that is wrong, cruel and exploitative and which pays no attention to the physical, behavioural, psychological and social needs of these highly intelligent creatures."

After capture on 17th April the animals were transported to EFAF's training facility near Tzaneen where they are confined in separate stables in a converted tobacco shed and without any access to natural light. Cattle prods were apparently used to force them from the transport trucks and into the stables.

IFAW was referred to Rob Snaddon, managing director of H L Hall & Sons, the main shareholders of Selati Game Reserve who confirmed that the capture of the elephants had taken place under permit and that a senior representative of the NSPCA had been present throughout.

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Fury over jumbo 'kidnap 'Animal activists threatened the Limpopo provincial government with court action this week in a bid to rescue six young elephants plucked “heartlessly” from their family groups and sent for training at an elephant-back safari outfit. The six elephants, aged between six and 12 years, were removed on Family Day over the Easter weekend from their herd in the Selati Game Reserve. Selati is a private reserve near Phalaborwa in Limpopo, owned by wealthy shareholders. A well-known farming and property development company in Mpumalanga, HL Hall & Sons, is the reserve’s main shareholder. Activists said the youngsters were taken from their families in “a heartless and relentless 10-and-a-half-hour capture ordeal”. A young bull elephant that repeatedly tried to reach the captured youngsters had to be deterred with gunshots. “Elephant experts worldwide are of the opinion that the close family bonds these animals have are subjected to immense trauma in this kind of situation,” said activist groups Xwe African Wild Life and Justice for Animals in a statement. “Most humans would consider it cruel to remove a seven-year-old child from its mother and family. Since it has been proved that elephants parallel humans in terms of emotions, and in many other respects, it is cruel to remove a seven-year-old calf from its elephant family.” Xwe, an NGO “with the primary aim of protecting the interests of animals”, sent a lawyer’s letter to the Limpopo environmental affairs department on Wednesday, demanding the withdrawal of the capture permit and a directive that the six elephants be returned to Selati. If this was not done by 4.30pm on Friday April 28, Xwe would apply for an urgent High Court interdict. The group said the permit did not comply with the department’s own policy that only viable family groups of elephants should be relocated, and violated the Animals Protection Act and other environmental legislation. The young elephants were taken to a training facility near Tzaneen run by Elephants for Africa Forever (Efaf), a partnership between Zimbabwean tourism and hunting operators and Limpopo tomato farmers ZZ2. Efaf is headed by businessman Howard Blight, who owns Barnyard Theatres in Gauteng. Blight’s elephant trainer is Rory Hensman, a former Zimbabwean who has trained most of the 60-odd elephants available for riding in South Africa. Conservation organisations such as the Elephant Managers and Owners Association, which oversees private ownership of elephants, oppose the capture and training of wild animals for elephant-back safaris. Not least among the problems is an increase in accidents — two elephant handlers have been killed in South Africa in the past eight months. A comprehensive investigation of elephants in captivity in this country, published by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) last March concluded there were no guidelines or laws applicable to the training of elephants and the industry was “open to abuse, particularly as all elephants in this sector are used in commercial operations run for profit”. Ifaw said this week two more young elephants from the herd at Selati were darted and immobilised, but were rejected as “unsuitable candidates for the safari industry” and released. Cattle prods were apparently used to force the youngsters from the transport trucks into stables at the training facility, “where they are confined in separate stables in a converted tobacco shed without any access to natural light”. Said Ifaw director Jason Bell-Leask this week: “The elephant-back safari tourism industry typically claims it is ‘saving’ young elephants from sure death in ‘culls’. In fact, they are taking young elephants from the wild to be subjected to confinement and training that is wrong, cruel and exploitative.” Rob Snaddon, managing director of HL Hall & Sons and chairperson of the Selati Game Reserve Association, said the decision to capture the youngsters and send them for training was taken “after careful consideration of the various elephant management options open to us. “We have a closed reserve — a fenced area where a wide variety of game flourishes, including elephants. If the elephant population grows too big for that space, it impacts on all the other animals at Selati, as well as the existing elephant population.” Efaf’s Blight told the Mail & Guardian “every fact” disseminated by the activist groups was “nonsense” and “second-hand information. We conduct our business with great sensitivity and respect for the elephants”. Asked what price he paid for the elephants, he said it was “the meat price, because they would have been culled. That is about R10 a kilo.” The Ifaw investigation last year concluded that the company was not capturing elephants just for use in its own elephant-back safari business. It said Efaf was training them to sell them on — earning in the region of R900 000 per elephant — or charging a monthly “lease” of between R20 000 and R25 000 per animal. A controversial aspect of this week’s capture was the presence of staff members of the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA), one of the most vocal organisations in exposing the plight of the Tuli elephants. These were youngsters captured in the Botswana bush in 1998 and brutally beaten by mahouts (elephant keepers) at a training facility owned by wildlife dealer Riccardo Ghiazza. Blight and Snaddon were quick to point out the capture had gained approval from the NSPCA members and Limpopo provincial conservation authorities, but their participation infuriated the other animal welfare groups. NSPCA director Marcelle Meredith responded that far from rubber-stamping the exercise, the role of her staff on site “was to monitor the process to ensure the welfare of the animals was not compromised”. The NSPCA believed the capture of wild elephants for “taming” and lifelong captivity was unethical and cruel. But if legal requirements were met and the authorities sanctioned the capture, the organisation was statutorily obliged to ensure the humane treatment of the animals. “Being present does not mean we condone,” she said. A spokesperson for Shibu Rampedi, head of Limpopo nature conservation, said she had received Xwe’s letter of demand and passed it on to her legal advisers on Wednesday.

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This was passed on by KARIN from S. Africa, thanks Karin

PRESS RELEASE: 24 April 2006

FAMILY DAY HORROR FOR ELEPHANT FAMILIES IN LIMPOPO

In a heartless and relentless ten and a half hour (7h00 - 17h30) capture ordeal, chillingly reminiscent of the Tuli elephant debacle, when they too were stolen from their mothers, six young elephants between the ages of 7 and 9 (4 females and 2 males) were cruelly separated from their families for use by the elephant-back safari industry. Helicopters, guns and electric prods were used. This all took place at the Selati Game Reserve, which is partially owned by H.L. Hall & Sons, and with the active participation of a Limpopo nature conservation official, who was reportedly using live ammunition in response to attempts by members of the elephant family to stop this atrocity.   Apparently this is not the first time this has taken place at Selati.

This event clearly shows what goes on behind the scenes in the name of "sustainable utilisation" in South Africa, highlighting the cruelty that drives the elephant-back safari and 'game' industries. It also points to an endemic problem in South Africa, where so-called 'conservation management practices' are clearly driven by economics rather than scientific evidence.

How elephants are treated is of concern to all caring people and it is not merely the prerogative of a few misguided wildlife managers. Elephant experts worldwide are of the opinion that the close family bonds these animals have are subjected to immense trauma in this kind of situation. Most humans would consider it cruel to remove a 7 year-old child from its mother and human family. Therefore, since it has been proven that elephants parallel humans in terms of emotions, and in many other respects, it is indeed cruel to remove a 7 year-old calf from its elephant family. Every elephant calf is biologically extremely important to its mother because she must invest so much time, energy and effort in producing and rearing a calf to adulthood: 22 months of gestation, four years of lactation, at least 12 years of rearing and protection. Elephants have evolved extraordinarily developed behaviours of caring and bonding with their calves. If a calf is to survive to adulthood it too must form intense close bonds with its mother and other family members.

We must stand with our heads bowed in shame - and full complicity - that after the Tuli horror we still allow elephant calf capture to continue in South Africa. We have learnt too much about elephants, about their social behaviour, about their intelligence, to treat them in this manner. They share a parallelled lifespan with humans and like us have life-long loyalties and friendships, a strong sense of family, and a sense of death. They care for their young and they care about their dead. Like humans they grieve and will mourn the loss of an individual. Elephants are also capable of compassion that extends beyond their own species.

The young elephants went to Howard Blight's Elephants for Africa Forever (EFAF) in Mooketsi, near Duiwelskloof. EFAF has an "elephant charter" which claims it acknowledges "the needs and wants of the elephants" and the "gregarious and disciplined nature of the elephant's family structure" and "respects the gentle nature of elephant society and their right to retain the dignity of their species." And on the EFAF website Blight claims that, "animal welfare is the most critical issue" but it is clear that this kind of capture has nothing to do with animal welfare and certainly showed no respect for elephant societies and family structures.

Apart from the obvious ethical problems, Selati and the Limpopo authorities had no business allowing this ecologically unnecessary and pointless capture. It is a well-documented and widely accepted fact that elephant family units should not be separated or hunted and internationally renowned elephant experts view it as unethical and cruel to forcibly remove young elephants such as these from their families. Since 1999 the Kruger National Park took a decision that the translocation of juvenile animals is "inhumane and therefore undesirable" and that only intact family units will be transferred live out of the Park.  Limpopo nature conservation authorities are clearly out of step with current conservation practices.

Importantly, the removal of young elephants from their families is not an alternative to culling, both from an ecological perspective and in terms of the Animals Protection Act. It is fallacious to argue that the removal of youngsters is a good solution to perceived elephant over-population. There is no scientific data to support this and it is totally ineffective as a means of population control as it has no significant impact on consumption of vegetation, population size, and growth. The number of calves removed will make very little difference to the size of the source population and removal of calves from family groups is certainly not a humane or effective way to control elephant numbers.

We doubt that Selati has done independent ecological studies or a proper EIA to support their idea that they need to kill and remove elephants or that they have a clear policy on elephant population size and habitat conservation apart from an often stated belief that there are simply "too many". Even if there are too many elephants in Selati, which we dispute, why is immunocontraception contraception not being used?

Our government should not be facilitating these kind of cruel activities. The lack of a consistent humane and compassionate national policy in relation to elephants means that government is shooting itself in the foot.

This event, like the Tuli elephants affair, will elicit an unprecedented public outcry, will harm South Africa's image both locally and abroad, and could negatively affect South African tourism. We call on the Minister of Environmental Affairs to intervene so that these elephant families can be reunited as a matter of extreme urgency.

Xwe African Wild Life, Justice for Animals and Sanwild believe that Limpopo conservation authorities erred when they issued a permit, which facilitated and allowed this event to take place. Consequently we will be seeking an urgent legal Application to have these juvenile elephants returned to their families.

We will also be making a formal Complaint to the South African Veterinary Council about the participation in this unethical capture of the vet, Paul Meyer, who was purportedly in charge of the capture operation. Meyer is also a member of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA).

And shame on you NSPCA - you of all organizations should have understood better what the implications are. Having fought the Tuli case so hard how is it possible to give a clean bill of health for this cruel capture and subsequent incarceration. It is extremely alarming that the NSPCA allowed this cruel and totally unnecessary event to take place and merely monitored it, thereby actually legitimizing an event that should never have taken place.

If these elephants are not returned to their families all they can look forward to are:
· Alien enclosures.
· Their diverse, complex elephant family eradicated.
· The almost negligible chance of raising calves of their own.
· The denial of a long fulfilled natural life.

Seven years ago, the South African and global public rose up in protest about the capture and treatment of the Tuli elephants. The people must speak out again - for the elephant communities who have no human voice - and insist that these young elephants be reunited with their families and that this kind of capture be outlawed.

Issued by Xwe African Wild Life and Justice for Animals

For more information contact:
Michele Pickover: 082 253 2124 or
Steve Smit: 082 659 4711

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PLEASE HELP STOP THIS VICIOUS CARNAGE!
The TULI Elephants  Elephant Lovers

Fiona Macleod | Johannesburg, South Africa
28 Apr 2006 23:59
PLEASE READ:  How Baby Elephants are "Broken" http://www.wag.co.za/tuli/torture_pics.html Learn more about these babies, what happens to baby elephants when their parents are killed for thier tusks. http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Tuli Video Clip: Caught On Tape(Tuli Beating) Friday, 8:42 PM Video with audio narration by Daphne Sheldrick (1.3 M Video with no audio: graphic beatings of little elephant (0.5 M     The Crime: The Savage Capture of 30 Calves! 3 76 days ago Why A group For Tuli Elephants? 4 221 days ago Video Clip: Caught On Tape(Tuli Beating) 7 76 days ago Contact Cites & Botswana Government: NO TO CULL! 1 149 days ago Petition For Tuli Block Elephants! Album: Tuli Elephants