A campaign to oppose the removal of elephants from the wild for commercial purposes was launched this week by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) and its partner organisation the Ethical Conservation Network (ECN).
Titled Born to be Wild, the campaign was launched because of Ifaw and the ECN’s concerns that, with growing numbers of elephants on private reserves, the temptation to sell off perceived excess stock of baby elephants to buyers in the tourism industry is great.
Ifaw said currently there are more than 1 300 elephants on private land.
”Elephants are becoming conservation’s latest commodity as increasing numbers of the animals are being taken from the wild for lives in captivity, including in the South African elephant-back safari and tourism industry,” said Ifaw spokesperson Christina Pretorius in a statement on Thursday.
She said young and sometimes baby elephants are the animals of choice, and entirely unregulated training methods are open to widespread abuse.
A report commissioned by Ifaw detailed that no laws exist to govern methods used in training elephants for safari tourism.
The report also found that trainers themselves do not require any formal training or education, and that the industry is generating an increasing demand for elephants.
”There are two ways in which the industry offers ‘elephant experiences’ — riding on elephants and elephant walks, where tourists can walk beside elephants, touching or feeding them.”
Pretorius said some members of the elephant-safari industry have raised a red flag, saying there is potential for abuse of elephants for profit.
They have called for an oversight body to be established.
She said Ifaw’s investigation showed that already some operations are experimenting with drugs to encourage docile behaviour.
”While many operators speak with conviction about their so-called care for elephants, it is abundantly clear that this is an industry driven by commercial gain,” said Jason Bell, Ifaw’s Southern Africa director.
He said the industry has no conservation value and is an inappropriate utilisation of South Africa’s elephant population.
Bell said the investigation over the past four months has revealed that one operator in the industry is offering ”tamed and trained” elephants for sale and lease.
”Ifaw is absolutely opposed to the use of elephants for elephant-back safari tourism or to be taken from the wild into any type of captive environment for commercial purposes, be that a zoo, safari park or circus,” he said.
Bell said Ifaw and the ECN also oppose the captive breeding of elephants, and believe that taking elephants from the wild and subjecting them to training is wrong, cruel and exploitative.
”Our concern is deepened by the fact that there are no regulations governing elephant training methods or the qualifications of elephant trainers.
”We do not believe that elephants’ physical, behavioural, psychological and social needs can be met in captivity, and believe that the keeping of elephants in captivity should be phased out,” he said.
Bell said the ongoing trade in elephants — and other animals — makes South Africans guilty of turning its wildlife heritage into a commodity. — Sapa