Nine maltreated Zimbabwe elephants to be freed



HARARE (AFP) – Nine elephants rescued from a Zimbabwe safari lodge where they were maltreated are set to be returned to the wild, after receiving treatment for their injuries, an animal welfare organisation announced Friday.

Ten elephants were rescued six months ago from a camp at the lodge, where they were being trained to carry tourists on their backs for safaris, the International Fund for Animal Welfare said.

One of the elephants has already died from malnutrition and abuse, but the others will be taken Monday to a rehabilitation centre in a national park to prepare them for life in the wild, the group said.

"These elephants have been subjected to the most appalling cruelty, all in the name of servicing an indefensible form of safari industry," the group's spokesman Neil Greenwood said.

The elephants would be darted and then taken in a convoy of trucks to Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe, the group said.

The elephants were discovered by the Zimbabwe National Society for the Protection of Cruelty against Animals, which found "cruel and torturous" methods were used to tame and train the elephants, including restricting their access to food and water.

Photos of the elephants showed gaping wounds that the groups said were inflicted during their training.

The Zimbabwean group has cordoned off a section of the training camp and taken over the care of the elephants since they were discovered six months ago. The group turned to IFAW for help in transporting them to the national park.

"Since their rescue six months ago the elephants have fully recovered from the wounds and injuries," said IFAW head of programmes, Christina Pretorious.

The elephants will start their journey on Monday from the private ranch in southern Zimbabwe to Hwange, where they will first live under supervision to ensure they can survive in the wild.

To hear that safri-groups defense of their treatment of those animals might be worth reading.
Once, anyway.

I just got back from Zim yesterday and if this is the same place I just came from, it is all BS in the strictest sense.

Please expound:
How is it BS?

A few questions need to be answered:

- What is the name of the "Safari" Company?

- If there really exist a "Safari" company enlightened enough to wish to train African elephants to carry tourists around, and clever enough to beat them about the head in order to get friendly with them, WHO owns and manages the company?

I had read the story on IFAW's website, but the only prominent information displayed (besides the bad treatment received by the animals) was that they were looking for $25,000 in order to help the poor beasts (Click here) And please don't forget the $25,000 (Click here) By the way, did you notice that the operation will cost $25,000, and that your donation will be sooooooo good?

In short, all they tell you is that poor animals are suffering horribly, without mentioning where, at the hands of who, how exactly things happened - absolutely NO verifiable information.

But they very clearly let you know that your donation is kindly requested - for that, they DO tell you exactly how and where to send the money!

Forgive my skepticism, but I'm not absolutely totally fully convinced by the whole thing...

quote:

showed gaping wounds that the groups said were inflicted during their training.

Apparently these yoyo's have never seen a Zim donkey. Open wounds being beat with a stick!

I guess that is why donkeys there seem to have a fatalistic attitude, with an expression of their future prospects as "I'm fucked."

The allegation is it sondelani..ut is it the part still owned and run by basil or the is it actually Ronnie's old place that has been taken over by 'war vets' aka malitia.

Since the actual farm in question is being kept very quiet I would suspect the latter....

Ganyana,
It was actually not the latter.

Rescued elephants 'doing well'
November 13 2009 at 01:16PM



The nine elephants rescued earlier this year from a ranch in Zimbabwe where they were being "trained" for use in the safari industry, are doing well in their new environment.

Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ZNSPCA) Chief Inspector Glynis Vaughn said on Friday the elephants were sighted on Thursday afternoon.

They were released into Hwange National Park on the November 3.

"Mary and her small group were sighted close to the release site, White Hills pan," Vaughn said in a statement.

According to satellite readings, the nine elephants had remained in the White Hills area.

National parks and wildlife management ecologist Edwin Makuwe, who is based at Hwange National Park, informed the ZNSPCA the nine elephants were still all together.


"While the elephants were aware of the parks rangers' presence, they continued to feed and moved away calmly.

"Their behaviour was completely normal for elephants in the park", Makuwe said.

National parks and wildlife management authority officials, with the assistance of ZNSPCA, Wild Horizons Trust and Elephants without Borders, would continue to monitor the rescued elephants and record their progress, Vaughan said.

The nine elephants were confiscated in April after an inspection by the ZNSPCA found cruel and torturous methods were being used to "tame and train" them for the elephant-back safari industry.

The animals - there were originally 10, but one had died of malnutrition and abuse - had been subjected to the most appalling cruelty "in the name of servicing an indefensible form of safari industry", the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said earlier.

IFAW said the ZNSPCA had discovered several abuses during their inspection earlier this year. These included, among others, severe injuries to the animals' legs, caused by chains, and restricted access to both food and water. - Sapa