Wildlife rights Group called FOUR PAWS succeeded in releasing the last elephant in South Africa’s National Zoo named Charley, on Wednesday August 21.
Charley was a 42 year old elephant and he was removed from the zoo to be transported to a reservation in the Northern Limpopo province. The group stated that this outcome followed years of negotiations with the South African Government which was provided with scientific evidence proving that elephants suffer in zoos.
“The science is clear that elephants are defined by space and should not be in Captivity” said Michele Pickover Executive Director to the Agence France-Presse.
Charley was a youngster when he was captured along with 9 other elephants and was imported to Boswell Circus in 1984. For 16 years, Charley performed in the circus before being transferred to Natal Lion Park in May 2000 then arrived at the zoo on July 30, 2001. For the past 23 years, he witnessed the deaths of his four elephant companions and has shown signs of distress that were commonly found on captive animals.
Johannesburg’s city-run is the only other zoo in South Africa with three elephants captive and they’re litigating against Johannesburg over those, she told the AFP.
Pickover stated that the Charley’s release didn’t necessarily indicate that the government had decided to end all elephant exhibitions in its zoos, but it also seemed that there were no plans to acquire additional elephants-AFP
Photo Courtesy: X|FOUR PAWS