57 Wild African Elephants Caught and Auctioned Away

Wild elephants in Namibia are being brutally captured, separated from their families, and sold to foreign buyers. But is this terrible cruelty legal? 

According to conservationists and animal rights groups, it isn’t. 

These groups are doing all they can to stop the capture and export of these amazing animals, and they are using international laws to do it. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) created legislation addressing the capture and exporting of wild animals, such as African elephants, outside of their home country. The recent auction of 57 elephants to unknown foreign buyers is not legal according to these laws, and animal rights fighters have managed to stop the export of the animals for now. 

Those profiting from this horrible trade say they are just trying to reduce the number of human injuries and deaths caused by encounters with elephants. However, data shows that this is not a significant problem. 

In fact, long years of drought, loss of habitat, and poaching have placed the elephants in danger, not people. One rare species of elephant, in particular, has adapted to the African desert, but the number of these kinds of elephants is dwindling.

Who is buying these elephants? Right now, that answer isn’t known. However, the elephants will likely be shipped to zoos and theme parks around the world. We recently posted a story of the cruel conditions performing elephants must endure for human entertainment. 

 “African elephants are intelligent, sentient animals with highly developed emotional complexity, and strong social and family bonds that last a lifetime,” said Jeff Flocken, the president of Human Society International. “It is unconscionable cruelty to subject these animals to brutal and traumatic capture, separating them from their families, and condemning them to lifelong captivity for the sake of human amusement.”

We couldn’t agree more! 

At Karmagawa and SaveTheReef, we stand with everyone fighting this inhumane elephant export! We will continue to use our platform and our voices to call out this cruelty until the day we see it end forever.

African elephants aren’t the only ones that need help! Elephants in Thailand are being captured and tortured for the entertainment of tourists every day! Help end this abuse by signing this petition! Together we can help stop this injustice! 

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What do you think about this cruel mistreatment of elephants? How can we do better for these incredible animals? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. 

(Cover image: Katrina Brown/Shutterstock)