HOEDSPRUIT: No more elephant-back safaris at Jabulani
The well known Camp Jabulani outside Hoedspruit has decided to phase out elephant-back safaris and by April 1 2017 the elephant experience will no longer include elephant rides
According to a statement released by Mari Theunissen, Camp Jabulani’s Marketing Manager, the main reason for putting an end to the elephant rides was the mounting international pressure against elephant-back safari because of the abusive way some of these elephants are trained in the world.
Theunissen is quick to point out that Jabulani did not train their animals, the elephants were rescued from Zimbabwe by Hoedspruit Endangered Wildlife Centre ( HESC) in 2002.
Twelve elephants, orphaned after culling operations in Zimbabwe in the 1980s, were trained for elephant-back safaris on a commercial farm from where they were rescued in 2002.
“The well being of the Camp Jabulani elephant herd has always been at the forefront of the operation,” Theunissen told the Herald.
Jabulani will honour all existing reservations but, effective immediately, elephant-back safaris will no longer be actively promoted or sold and by 1 April 2017 it will no longer be available.
Visitors will still be able to enjoy interaction with elephants, but the elephant-back safari will no longer be available.
For more information about Camp Jabulani’s Elephant Experience readers can contact Mari Theunissen at mari@campjabulani.com
