By Tyler Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
MBABANE, Swaziland – This Tuesday, a plane loaded with some unusual passengers started the long flight from Swaziland to the continental U.S. Instead of people this plane is carrying 18 heavily sedated elephants to their new homes in three U.S. zoos. The three male and 15 female elephants will be split between the Dallas zoo, Sedgwick County zoo in Kansas, and Henry Doorly zoo in Nebraska were they hope to be bred. This move has been heavily criticized by some animal rights activists.
In February the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the plan and granted permission to the three zoos to import the 18 elephants. To get approval for this moce the zoos had to meet requirements under the Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. To fulfill both bodies of law the receiving zoos and the sending country had to make certain legal and scientific findings.
The exporting country must determine that:
• the export is not detrimental to the survival of the species,
• the animal was legally acquired,
• the animal will be prepared and shipped so as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment, and
• the importing country has issued an import permit for the animal.
The importing country must determine that:
• the import is for purposes that are not detrimental to the survival of the species,
• the proposed recipient is suitably equipped to house and care for the animal, and
• the animal is not to be used for primarily commercial purposes.
(CITES regulations at 50 CFR 23, Appendix-I)
After permission was granted the group, Friends of Animals, filed a suit in federal court against the Fish and Wildlife Service seeking an injunction to stop the move. At the time the suit was filed the move from Swaziland to the U.S. was scheduled to take place in May and the court date was set for March, 17.
In an unexpected and seemingly questionable move, the zoos changed the move date and decided to move the animals on Tuesday, 10 days before the court date. Michael Harris, the legal director at friends of Animals, called the move “blatantly underhanded.”
The zoos have attempted to justify their actions saying the move was necessary due to heavy drought that has affected the region. In theory the move not only saves the elephants but will also help to ease the strain that is being place on Swaziland’s Hlane national park by the dry conditions. The zoos are also scheduled to pay $450,000 to the park in an attempt to help save the severely endangered rhino population that lives there.
For more information please see:
CBSDFW – Animal-Rights Group Moves To Block Zoos’ Elephant Import – 16 February 2016
Fish and Wildlife Service – Q&A: Importation of Elephants from Swaziland – 21 January 2016
