BOYCOTT ZIMBABWE TOURISM - PROTEST THE CAPTURE AND SALE OF WILD BABY ELEPHANTS!!

THE WORLD'S TOURISTS WILL NOT SUPPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY:

We pledge not to visit Zimbabwe and we call for all those travelling to Africa to continue avoiding Zimbabwe until such time as that nation’s authorities reverse their plan to export the kidnapped baby elephants and then work to release these babies back to the wild.

Ripping baby elephants from their families is cruel and unforgiveable! Destroying elephant family groups has many bad consequences!

Circuses, zoos, and most “nature parks” are inherently cruel and ignore the physical requirements of elephants who require movement for their well-being. As migratory herd animals, elephants need to move through large territories, and the environment needs what elephants do—such as spreading seeds across vast areas—to maintain a healthy African ecosystem.
Apart from meeting the physical requirements for movement in an appropriate environment, elephants also have strong social needs. The removal of calves from their natal herds in the wild into captivity is devastating. Calves are kept in isolation or in small groups, without a natural mother or adult relatives with whom they have a protective bond. Young elephants, displaced from their families, and confined to captive environments that are unable to meet either their physical or behavioral needs suffer stress which affects their physical and psychological development, causing many calves to die. Among those that do survive their captivity, chronic illnesses such as tuberculosis, and unnatural behaviors and aggression are common conditions. These effects are well studied and extensively documented.
The Zimbabwean Citizens, Zimbabwean and global Animal Activists, animal rights advocates and world's conservation groups have appealed to the Zimbabwean Authorities for the last 4 months by means of petitions and letters, trying to get Zimbabwean government authorities to reverse their plan to export kidnapped baby elephants to the Middle and Far East. But instead, the authorities have chosen to ignore this call and are planning to go ahead with exporting these poor kidnapped babies.
If the Zimbabwe government follows through with its current plan to export these unfortunate elephant babies, it is extremely likely that most will sicken or die. And then these zoos and places of captivity will “need” more calves to replace the ones that die. This has happened before, on a much smaller scale. There is less reason than ever to think the sold elephant calves will fare better than any of their predecessors.
Finally, it must be noted that the elephants “sold” by Zimbabwe are not the exclusive property of this nation. They are AFRICAN elephants, not Zimbabwe elephants. The capture and sale of baby elephants for export does not even help Zimbabwe. It harms the nation’s reputation, lessens the likelihood to be chosen by tourists for a destination, and damages its relationships with its African neighbors. The sold elephants are now no longer available to the ongoing local economy in “new wildlife corridors,” nor are they available to the health of the ecosystems of all the countries within the range of the AFRICAN elephant.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned.