Various organisations express their anger over Joburg Zoo’s acquisition of two additional elephants

Humane Society International (HSI), Ban Animal Trading (Bat), EMS Foundation and Elephant Reintegration Trust have expressed their disgust at the acquisition of two new elephants at the Johannesburg Zoo on 13 June.

HSI Africa’s wildlife director Audrey Delsink said, “Such was their haste to acquire those elephants, they have done so without completing any of the expansion or renovation work they promised and ignored both public opinion and the pleas from some of the world’s most eminent elephant experts and conservationists.”

“This decision denies Lammie, and the two new elephants, the chance of a decent, fulfilling life. This sorry episode has exposed the zoo authorities as lagging far behind global trends to close elephant zoo exhibits, something that 150 progressive, modern zoos have already done in recognition of the inescapable fact that such captivity cannot meet elephants’ complex physiological, psychological and social requirements. Joburg Zoo may well have acted on the right side of the law, but they have found themselves on the wrong side of history.”

EMS Foundation director Michele Pickover expressed her anger at the City of Joburg and particularly the Democratic Alliance for allegedly squandering ratepayers’ money on purchasing these elephants from Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape.

According to HSI, the new elephants, though of captive origin, are in a worse state than before, where they were in a free contact system and able to roam the confines of their previous home.

Director of Elephant Reintegration Trust Brett Mitchell said, “This is a sad day for elephants, yet another two elephants are unnecessarily subjected to a life of imprisonment due to the lack of ethical management choices made by Joburg Zoo.”

Smaragda Louw of Bat, who has headed up a number of protests outside the zoo since Kinkel’s death in September last year, said she was upset about being kept in the dark regarding the acquisition of these new elephants.

“We sent an application to GDARD (Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) to find out about the permits and they claimed that they lost the permit. I know that they usually take very good care of their permits and believe that they were trying to keep us in the dark so that we could not prevent this transfer. We are weighing up our options and will meet with our lawyers to take this further. The Joburg Zoo will now continue to perpetuate this cycle of cruelty.”

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