Kruger2Canyons.com

The capture of wild elephants for use in the elephant-back safari industry, or for
use in any other commercial exhibition facilities, will be prohibited from May 1st 2008.

This was announced by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, at the launch of the Final Norms and Standards for Elephant Management on February 25.

“We have decided to prohibit the capture of wild elephants except for
purposes of rehabilitation into the wild,” says Van Schalkwyk. “In the case
of genuine orphans on private and communal land they may be rehabilitated
and reintroduced into the wild, or as a last resort, into bona fide sanctuaries
if they cannot be rehabilitated,” he adds.

The norms and standards will also prohibit the import and export of captive elephants and will prevent intensive breeding, other than natural birth, of elephants in captivity.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, together with the Department of Agriculture, has committed to drawing up minimum standards for the management of the 120 elephants already in captivity in South Africa, within the next 12 months.

The standards will cover topics such as care, maintenance and permissible uses.