Media Release
Contact:
Christina Pretorius (IFAW Southern Africa) – Tel: +27 21 424 2086; Mobile: +27 82 330 2558;
Email: cpretorius@ifaw.org
Erica Martin (IFAW Asia Pacific) Tel: +61 29288 4999, Mobile 0408 881 607, email:
emartin@ifaw.org
Battered and Bruised – Abused Elephants
to be Rescued in Zimbabwe
(Cape Town, South Africa – 2 November 2009) The rescue of nine cruelly abused elephants
from a commercial training facility in Zimbabwe will begin today, the International Fund for
The elephants were confiscated in April 2009 after an inspection by the Zimbabwe National
Society for the Protection of Cruelty against Animals (ZNSPCA) found cruel and torturous
methods were being used to “tame and train” them for the elephant back safari industry – a
popular tourist activity in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in southern Africa.
The ZNSPCA requested IFAW to step in and assist in translocating the elephants to a safe haven
with a view to rehabilitating the elephants and releasing them back into the wild.
“These elephants have been subjected to the most appalling cruelty, all in the name of servicing an
indefensible form of safari industry,” said Neil Greenwood, spokesman IFAW Southern Africa.
“In fact 10 elephants were originally caught for training. Tragically one – a young male named
Dumisani – died of malnutrition and the abuse he was subjected to. Given all of this, IFAW has
assembled a top team of capture experts to translocate the remaining nine elephants to safety with
the least possible stress”.
The elephants will be transported from a privately owned ranch in the West Nicholson area, south
of Bulawayo where the elephants were being “trained”, to Hwange National Park, some 700
kilometres further east.
The wild elephants were originally caught on protected land in October 2008. In April 2009 when
the ZNSPCA inspected the training facility they discovered the following abuses taking place:
Elephants chained on one leg and being fed from a distance requiring them to stand on
three legs and strain at their chains to reach their food. This practice was intended to
enforce the dominance of the handlers and caused severe wounds to the chained legs.
Restricted access to water and shade.
Varying degrees of wounds caused by training techniques and chaining.
An adult female elephant separated from her male calf causing unnecessary stress and
physical suffering to both calf and mother.
Chaining for long hours preventing the elephants from socialising with each other.
The translocation of the elephants will begin on Monday afternoon, 2 November and has been
mandated by the Government of Zimbabwe. The elephants will be darted and transported in a
single group to Hwange National Park overnight before being released into a large rehabilitation
boma for monitoring before eventually being released into the park.
For more information on the translocation and on making a donation to support the move, please
About the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
As one of the world’s leading animal welfare organisations, IFAW has representation in 16
countries and carries out its animal welfare work in more than 40. IFAW focuses its campaigns
on improving the welfare of wild and domestic animals by reducing the commercial exploitation
of animals, protecting wildlife habitats, and assisting animals in distress. IFAW works both on
the ground and in the halls of government to safeguard wild and domestic animals and seeks to
motivate the public to prevent cruelty to animals and to promote animal welfare and
conservation policies that advance the well-being of both animals and people.
Ends
NEWS 
