Fighting for Harare’s Majestic Herd

A Zimbabwean environmental group is suing the government over plans to export elephants to China. The group, Advocates4Earth, accuses China of subjecting elephants to unhealthy conditions. In an application to Zimbabwe’s High Court, Advocates4Earth is seeking to prevent the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority from going through with the export. Lenin Tinashe Chisaira, who heads Advocates4Earth, says the group just wants authorities to comply with existing laws. “Basically, we are applying for a declaratory order that the Zimbabwe government and its agencies should respect international conventions especially the resolutions that African elephants, African wildlife should not be exported to destinations that are not appropriate for these species that are not natural or historic range,” Chisaira said. “We strongly feel that there is a desire by some agencies of the government to violate those agreements by exporting some of our species to countries such as China, without abiding by the existing legal framework,” he added. The court application also cites the country’s environment minister, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, in the lawsuit.  

SOURCE: VOA