Harare – Zimbabwe’s government has reportedly said it would be exporting more of its wildlife to China in order to raise necessary funds to look after its animals, a report said on Monday.
According to the state owned Herald newspaper, the minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said Zimbabwe would not be “apologising” for sending its animals to China.
She said China had taken “good care” of the elephants which were exported to that country in July last year.
“We are going to increase the number of elephants and other species we are exporting to China because they have done a good job in taking care of those they have already bought from us. We will not apologise to anyone. Not even once, because they are our elephants and our people live with a huge population of elephants and bear the trouble of interacting with them.
The minister said looking after wildlife in the southern African country was a challenge as they battled with drought and poaching.
News24 reported last year that the country came under fire after it exported at least 62 baby elephants to China, the United Arab Emirates and France.
The government, however, defended its decision by saying that the country was overpopulated with African jumbos.
Source News24
Sharon Pincott, ex-Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe / January 8, 2016
There is an awfully big difference between what is legal and what is ethical, to do with these young elephant captures – and Zim’s latest Environment Minister surely has a responsibility to not just ‘follow the leader’ and all that happened when she did not lead this ministry, but must surely now take responsibility and try to understand the genuine and caring concerns – and at least acknowledge, and review, these if nothing else. Not simply dismiss them, without care. I monitored and recorded a clan of 525+ elephants in Hwange for some 8 hours a day for 13 long years, many from when they were new-born. I know them intimately and individually – as well as in a ‘family’ context. I know exactly what a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ,7 year old Hwange elephant looks like. Zimparks and the ministry continuing to declare, for example, that these young elephants that they ripped from their families were “5-7 years old” at the time of capture shows a complete lack of understanding/knowledge of elephants in general. Not to mention an overall lack of care. Sir Nige, I would appreciate your helping to ensure that your Minister Oppah Muchinguri at least personally reads the facts in the Facebook post (posted after spending 13 dedicated years with Zimbabwe’s own elephants) on https://www.facebook.com/PresidentialElephantsZim/posts/783479468393222:0. Minister Saviour Kasukuwere did not act positively, but Minister Oppah Muchiniguri surely has a responsibility to look back, and to at least adddress relevant – and very real – concerns and issues.
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