P R E S S
R E L E A S E
Convicted elephant abuser condemns elephants to life sentence
Riccardo Ghiazza is a man with a notorious record when it comes to
elephants.
On the 7 April 2003, he was convicted of elephant cruelty by a South
African court.
Five days later Ghiazza exported from South Africa, three elephants to
Lesna Zoo in the Czech Republic and is believed to be planning to ship
more elephants to a zoo in Mexico.
But why are the South African authorities allowing this export in the
first place? "In 2000, in front of more than 100 countries attending the
CITES* international wildlife meeting in Nairobi, South Africa stated that
"International trade in live elephants from South Africa will only take
place to formally proclaimed protected areas in terms of legislation of
the importing country". It was a promise that live elephants would only
be exported if they were to continue to live wild and free" said Will
Travers, CEO Born Free Foundation. He went on "We now have the
distressing prospect of wild South African elephants being caught and
shipped half-way round the world to prop up the ailing zoo industry."
On the 24th July, this year, Ghiazza and his associate, Wayne Stockgit,
will be sentenced. They could face a fine of 200,000 Rand and/or up to 12
months in prison.
That is nothing compared to what the elephants can look forward to:
* The open plains of Africa to be replaced by an alien enclosure of,
at best, a few acres.
* Their diverse, complex elephant family eradicated.
* The almost negligible chance of raising calves of their own.
* The possibility of a long fulfilled natural life (elephants can live
up to 70 years in the wild) being halved (few elephants live up to 40
years in captivity).
Four years ago, the South African public rose up to protest about the
capture, abuse and cruel treatment of 30 baby elephants - Ghiazza's
conviction is one result of that public outcry.
The people must speak out again - for the elephants that have no voice -
and prevent these latest exports. South Africa's elephants - Africa's
elephants - live in the wild not in zoos. The challenge is to make sure
they remain in the wild.
Will Travers is CEO Born Free Foundation currently attending the CITES
Standing Committee in Geneva. Please see our website for more information
about the Foundation (www.bornfree.org.uk
)
* Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES)
Editor's Notes:
Elephants in Zoos
* Longevity: Wild elephants can live to 70 years old but few in zoos
reach half that age. The European Elephant Group discovered that 63% of
the 120 Asian elephants born in captivity between 1902 and 1992 in Europe
died before the age of eight.
* Reproduction: Despite the fact that both the African and Asian
elephants are part of European Breeding Programmes, breeding success is
very low. A study of 20 European zoos in 1996 revealed that young were
reproduced on average once every 22 years, whereas in the wild elephants
give birth once every four to five years.
* Psychological Disorders: Lacking the environmental, social and
psychological stimulation received by elephants in the wild, may captive
elephants appear to display abnormal behaviour. Stereotypic behaviour,
which is normally an indicator of poor animal welfare induced by a long
period of time in captivity and lack of mental stimulation, is
particularly noticeable.
* Physical disorders: Captive elephants are often unable to travel the
sort of distances and therefore receive appropriate levels of physical
exercise as wild elephants. According to studies, zoo elephants may be 31
- 72% heavier than wild elephants (Kurt and Schmid 1996). Overweight
elephants tend to develop disorders of the feet, joints, ligaments and
skin causing discomfort and suffering. Arthritis is also common and it
thought to be caused by the cold and by prolonged contact with damp
concrete floors, a common feature in elephant enclosures.
* No zoo, no matter how well intentional, can begin to duplicate an
elephant's natural habitat. Captive elephants are at the mercy of zoos
that may decide to separate and shuffle them around to other zoos with no
regard for the special bonds between elephants.