Groups Call for Release of African Elephants Captured for U.S. Zoos

WASHINGTON, DC. – An international coalition of conservation and animal protection organizations today called on the San Diego Zoo and the Lowry Park Zoo of Tampa to immediately return 13 juvenile African elephants currently being held in Swaziland to the wild. The elephants were captured during the week of March 10 and have been confined in a small holding area in Swaziland awaiting export to the U.S. zoos.

On April 23, 2003, the Zoos were forced to give up their federal permits authorizing the elephant import, after the coalition informed the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service that the agency had granted permission to bring the elephants to the U.S. based on false and misleading information provided by the Zoos in their permit applications. Today, the elephants continue to be held in Swaziland, despite the fact that no valid permits exist to authorize their transport to the U.S.

In a letter to the Zoos, the groups – including In Defense of Animals, the Animal Protection Institute, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Born Free Foundation, Born Free USA, Animal Welfare Institute, The Elephant Alliance, Elephant Sanctuary, and San Diego Animal Advocates -- urged the immediate release of the elephants, either in Swaziland or to one of three reserves in Southern Africa that are willing to take the elephants as a group.

“Each passing day endangers the elephants and increases the risk that one or more will perish from the stress of confinement and separation from family,” wrote IDA Program Director Suzanne Roy, on behalf of the coalition. The Zoos are obviously aware of these risks, she said, because they are holding two elephants specifically as ‘replacements’ in the event that one or more of the 11 animals identified for import is killed or injured.

“There is an urgent need to return these elephants to a wild setting as soon as possible,” the letter continued. “The aforementioned organizations, on behalf of their millions of supporters and the wider general public, will hold the San Diego and Lowry Park Zoos fully accountable for the well being of these elephants.”

The groups observed that federal law prevents the renewal of any permits to a party that has made material misrepresentations to the government. Therefore, since the Zoos clearly misrepresented extremely critical information about the location and identity of the elephants and the purpose of removing the animals from the wild, the government has no legal basis on which to reissue the permits to the Zoos.

“These animals should not have to suffer any longer because of your Zoos’ mistakes and failure to provide accurate and complete information to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in your import permit applications,” the letter concluded. “Unless and until your Zoos have been granted valid permits to import these animals, these elephants should be set free.”