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The Tuli Elephants: Reflections of a Nation - by Gareth Patterson

TULI ELEPHANTS COURT CASE UPDATED 16/04/2003

Latest news: Tuli trio walk while state fiddles

Tuli torturers finally in court?? Can we finally expect a verdict? There appears to be a very good chance of the Tuli babies in Germany being returned to South Africa - depending on the outcome of the cruelty charges. Footage of a German Zoo keeper abusing the elephants while still at African Game Services has been sent to Germany.

Sunday night 18 June, Carte Blanche reported on the state of the Tuli elephants. In summary: 30 captured. 4 sent to German zoos, 3 to a Swiss zoo. 9 were sent to Sandhurst hunting lodge of which 5 unfortunately ended up at Craig Saunders' petting zoo. 14 were released at Marakele game reserve in 2 groups. One of the first 9 released in Marakele unfortunately died of unknown causes. The remaining 13 at Marakele are the most fortunate of all these poor animals.

No reports have been received on the condition of the 4 remaining at Sandhurst and with the owner obviously hostile towards the NSPCA monitors, nothing is known on their condition.

As with so many other "new South African terminologies", Craig Saunders now refers to the ongoing training of his elephants as "domestication" - a process he claims can't be quantified. In this "domestication" a "knock here and a slap there" is apparently totally acceptable - to the extent of leaving a big open wound on the trunk of one poor elephant......

This purpose of this site is to provide information about the actions taking place to prevent the inhumane torture - called "Mahout Training" - of the remaining Tuli elephants at African Game Services near Brits in the Northern Province of South Africa. This page will be updated continuously to provide details of trust funds for the Ellies, actions planned and taking place, contact details where complaints can be lodged to pressurise the South African government to take positive action to stop this abuse, and in fact any useful information that can help release these poor creatures.

Background Information can be found on these sites:
Animals | Who's who in the Tuli Zoo | NEWS.24 | Eye witness of Capture | subjective cruelty????

December 23 1999: The remaining 5 Tuliphants at AGS were released into the wilds! Details.

The African Game Services web site has been closed down! However Riccardo Ghiazza's email is in all probability still active. Use this contact information to improve the fate of the animals at AGS (you know what to do):
Tel (SA): (012) 207 1070
Fax (SA): (012) 207 1253
e-Mail: riccardo@afrigame.co.za

A few very important links

Special thanks| Breaking news!|Current Activities|

Photo Gallery - protest photographs, letter from C. Saunders(of the proposed education park), and much more.
Remember Mogli & Lulu? Two of Ghiazza's "graduates" now "happily" living in a Dresden zoo....

Elephant Information Repository
Animal Rights Resource Site
Animal Freedom

This is an urgent message!!!!!!!!!

Ghiazza is building his crates in order to export his animals to china - not the elephants - the other animals- please notify everyone you can - send fax and OBJECT STRONGLY to this fact - fax number is 012-3207026 - we do not have a lot of time so try and get things moving fast - please get message out to animal rights groups in Cape Town and Durban.

Johannesburg Zoo takes Tuli toys. The toys that were donated to the tuli elephants have been removed from the site. When the Johannesburg zoo keepers left the premises they took all the donated toys with them. Dr.Condi from the zoo has indicated the toys donated were for the zoo and not actually the tuli elephants. He has also told the NSPCA that should they require any of the 'remaining' toys they can collect 'some' of them from the zoo. I would like to remind you that the call was for toys for the Tuli elephants and not for the zoo. Surely, if the zoo animals are in their ' natural ' surroundings they would have no use for toys. Should Dr Condi require written proof that the toys were for the Tuli elephants WAG can supply it. His behaviour is disgusting!!!
This is exactly the attitude that has resulted in the elephants being where they are and gave the people concerned the time to abuse and traumatise them.

The elephants at Marakele were released from the boma on 11 August, 1999. Please lend your support in getting the 5 still at AGS reunited with their little friends and share their new freedom. The longer the ellies are separated and kept in small pens, the bigger the problem with rehabilitating them. Please read this page to see why Saunders MUST NOT be allowed to take possession of the 5 elephants still confined at AGS.

What is the status of the different trust funds?? What has been used, on what and how much is left?? As donors we have the right to know - transparency is the name of the game! We have the right to know how much has been collected so far, how much has been spent or allocated, and on what/who and what for the money has been spent or allocated. Fax, email or phone the fund controllers to supply these details. Contact details on trust fund page.

28 July 1999: Possible DIPLOMATIC post for Riccardo Ghiazza!!!! Togo, a small west African state has asked for South Africa's approval of Ghiazza's appointment as consul-general - THIS MUST BE STOPPED!! NEWS24 Contact our government officials not to give approval. Here is an email addy that didn't bounce: cablenet@cybercable.fr - it is for the diplomatic missions throughout the world - thanks Mariet-Su' Botha:)

warning1.gif (190 bytes) Stop Ghiazza from smuggling our animals out of the country!
He has an order for more than 400 animals intended for a Chinese safari park.
"There is concern that the embattled Ghiazza may resort to using an unregistered airline carrier to send the animals to China, endangering their lives en route."
"Members of the wildlife industry are worried that, while the focus is on the elephants in the next couple of weeks, he will manage to slip the shipment out of the country." Details. Already under investigation for smuggling, this is a very real possibility. Please check contacts for Chinese connections where we can lobby support to stop the import license. Assist interpol in their investigation: Fax Interpol - Lyon in France - 33-4-72447000

warning2.gif (333 bytes) Don't forget about the 9 elephants at Sandhurst - a CANNED HUNTING lodge! They have many more animals (Lions, Rhino, Eland, Giraffe, Buffalo, Sable, Kudu as well as a range of carnivores.) In the "What to bring" section of their web site, top of the list is "Right gun and ammo for animal".......
Ghiazza plans to recapture the elephants to begin training again. . STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING!!! In a Carte Blanche programs Sandhurst has officially been referred to as a facility with "Elephant Hunt Safaris"

"End of next week" deadline up for the Attorney General to rule in the Case against AGS. In the 50/50 program on 8 July, a statement to this deadline was made. Again this promise has NOT been met!! Increase the pressure on the AG office and Mr. Villa Moosa. A court date to settle this is now 11 months' overdue.

Interesting reading: The books "Dying to be free - the Canned Lion Scandal" by Gareth Patterson (remember the Cook report?) and "Contraband - South Africa and the International Trade in Ivory and Rhino Horn" by De Wet Potgieter (ISBN 1874901481) are highly recommended reading, exposing the role that lust for money by the already wealthy plays in the destruction of our wildlife heritage. In South Africa your local CNA should be able to supply you with these titles.

Who's who in the Tuli zoo..... hmmmmmmm......

WWF to possibly sell our elephants into further captivity (please read details). "The elephants desperately need your help! WWF (World Wildlife Fund) has decided to buy the elephants to "save" them. However, in a phone conversation with WWF, it appeared that the WWF is not opposed to placing them in zoos or continuing their training. This is far from saving them!!!! Please add your support. Please write to Dr. Rob Little, Director of Conservation, Mr. Valli Moosa, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, The Honorable Thabo Mbeki, Pick 'n Pay, Carte Blanche , and all your other contacts!

"It was amazing to see so many concerned people at the protest on Sunday." Said Jane Garrison of PETA. Adding: "Sunday was a true indication that the South African people care deeply about the fate of the elephants. We now ask that you take the following action:

Urge Valli Moosa, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, to deny permits to send these baby elephants to zoos or safari parks. In addition, ask him to do everything in his power to deny future import or export permits for wild-caught elephants.

We will continue to fight for the freedom of these baby elephants and will keep you informed of our progress. Please pass this alert to friends and family."

With the success of 11 July protest at AGS, a battle was won, but the war is FAR from being over! We cannot relax now. We have to keep the pressure up - as asked by various concerned citizens and Clive Ramsbottom: The Way Forward. Please send your ideas and suggestions to the supplied contacts.

To all the fund controllers: Lets stand together and combine the moneys in the different funds to do what is best for the ELEPHANTS. Lets not think of our own image, prestige and visibility. These funds are for the ELEPHANTS, not for any single organization to gain the upper hand in controlling the elephants and even worse, make more money out of them! We MUST do our utmost to get these poor abused creatures back into a free and natural environment where they can try and forget the horrible little lives we have forced on them to date.

From Anne: According to the news stories today, the NSPCA has currently over R600,000-00 and are in need of another R1.4 million. In addition, the Knysna fund has R600,000-00 - why don't they just combine funds, buy the elephants and relocate them to wildlife reserve?

See our ellies for yourself! Africam - now live - and no animal will be disturbed by the cameras. They are BEAUTIFUL!!

Current Activities

Date	Activity
Archives	To keep this page as fast loading as possible I have moved past events onto an Archive page - please do not forget the wonderful support given to this cause. Read Clive's special "Thank You", and urge for the next step.
4 October	Court case against the trainers: Thanks to the persistent presence of WAG in the court, and the help of the Attorney General the case has been postponed to 4 October 1999, and the Mahouts, who's visas expired on 4 July, were not allowed to leave the country and did not get off with a "token" fine. On 23 July this case was postponed to 30 July and now to 4 October.
Saturday 28 August 1999	Tuliphant Benefit Concert in Durban
Wildlife Action Group - updated!	WAG is a new trust being formed to work for the protection of our wildlife heritage. - (updated 20 July 1999)
WAG Youth Movement	WE NEED YOU !!!!!!!
Actions to save our wildlife and King, a gorilla in a small concrete cage	Every single plane that lands at any international airport in this country for the next two months and again over the Xmas period -each person disembarking will get a pamphlet regarding wildlife abuse and King will be on it. We're going to expose this and we're going to embarrass people - we've had enough!

Trust Funds	Please donate to help save our elephants
Concerned Citizens (updated 11/08/99 - 08:15)	People who have emailed me with their support of action against AGS - thanks people:) You will also find some very "interesting" information on this page.... and why we must keep our ellies OUT OF A ZOO - from Deborah Famiglietti who researched the welfare of captive elephants in American zoos.

Special thanks to (and here I am probably doing an injustice to many of the people who are so actively supporting this protest by only mentioning a few names - please send details you want me to publish):

‘Each One Teach One’, a project run by Succinct (Pty) Ltd, reaches out to raise the spirits of our elephants. A group of ladies at the Alexsan Kopano Community Center in Alexandra are sewing toys for our ellies. Please read about this wonderful contribution. Video footage soon on SABC TV.

Carte Blanche - and MNET for revealing the dreadful facts. Derek, Ruda, you guys are SUPERSTARS!

Mr Andries Venter - who video taped the torture at AGS. The footage, never meant to be seen by the public after a High Court ban, made it onto TV screens after an expert witness from Kenya, who was asked to assess the evidence, opted to make it public. See nightmare for detailed report.

Clive & Lesley - for their constant vigil at the farm, in the Brits court and many other very important things:)

Lee-Anne - for her activity in the forum and providing on-going information

Sean - for the map and the "hard copy" petition - get one from him and get as many signatures as possible!

KPMG - Please read about their generous offer and Pinda Game Lodge - our babies could have a new home:)

IFAW - donated R600,000.00 for the rescue of the elephants !!! I'm sure a few "Thank You" notes will be in order:)

A very possible and horrible thought we should keep in mind