South Africa to export elephants to Angola

September 4, 2000
Web posted at: 12:22 PM EDT (1622 GMT)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- South Africa is to export part of its excess elephant population to war-ravaged Angola on Saturday in a move condemned by animal welfare organizations.

The North West Parks and Tourism Board said on Monday it would relocate 30 elephants from South Africa's Madikwe Game Reserve to the Quicama National Park in Angola, 60 km (37 miles) south of the Angolan capital Luanda.

"The objective of this donation by North West Parks and Tourism Board to Angola is to help revitalize the Angolan economy and is in support of the development of the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region," the board said in a statement.

The elephants will be captured on Friday and flown to Angola on Saturday.

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The operation is being carried out on behalf of the Kissama Foundation, which has been mandated by the Angolan Government to rehabilitate the country's national parks.

Much of Angola's wildlife has been wiped out in a 25-year-old civil war between the government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebel movement.

"This week's relocation is the first phase of a larger resettlement program, named Operation Noah's Ark, of several wildlife species over the next five years to Quicama. The park of 1.2 million hectares is almost devoid of wildlife," the parks board said.

UNITA rebels killed huge numbers of elephants and rhinos for ivory and horns which were sold with the help of the South African army when the then white-minority government backed UNITA against the Soviet-backed government in Luanda.

Anti-tank mines were sometimes used by poachers to kill the elephants.

Animal welfare activists say with Angola still in a state of civil war and with an unknown number of landmines buried beneath its soil, it may not be possible for the country to guarantee the security of the elephants.

"Obviously one of the concerns is that they are moving them to Angola and we know what the political situation is like there," said Jason Bell, a spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

"We know that elephants have been poached to virtual local extinction in most parts of Angola.

"We caution the North West Parks board to ensure that elephants relocated to Angola are taken to areas where the authorities have adequate enforcement resources to prevent poaching," he said.

The parks board said the elephants will be released into a 20,000 hectare section of Quicama which is secured by an electric fence and armed guards. It also said there has never been any fighting in the area.

Relocating elephants from areas where their numbers have become too great for the available habitat is used increasingly as an alternative to culling.

South Africa has about 12,000 elephants. Their numbers have reached saturation point in several parks.

"We are not opposed in principle to the idea. Moving elephants to areas where they traditionally occurred is a great thing," said Bell. "We just want their security ensured."

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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North West Parks and Tourism Board, South Africa
Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa - Go2Africa.com
Quicama National Park of Angola
KISSAMA Foundation
IFAW: International Fund for Animal Welfare

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