A large majority of countries voted in Geneva to ban the transfer of elephants caught in the wild to zoos (AFP Photo/Tony KARUMBA) |
Geneva (AFP) - The regulator of global wildlife trade will likely ban sending African elephants captured from the wild to zoos after countries supported the move Sunday, in what conservationists hailed as a "historic win".
A large
majority of countries voted in Geneva to prohibit the transfer of elephants
caught in the wild to so-called captive facilities -- a practice animal
protection groups have long described as "cruel".
The vote
was the first rendered during a 12-day meeting of the parties to the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species, which kicked off on Saturday with
thousands of conservationists and policymakers from more than 180 countries in
attendance.
With 46 in
favour, 18 against and 19 abstaining, the vote cast in one of two committees
secured the two-thirds majority needed to pass, but will still needs to be
approved by the full conference before the meeting concludes on August 28.
"This
decision will save countless elephants from being ripped away from their
families in the wild and forced to spend their lifetimes imprisoned in substandard
conditions at zoos," Iris Ho, a senior wildlife specialist with Humane
Society International (HSI), said in a statement.
Specifically,
the countries voted to limit trade in live wild African elephants only to
conservation in their natural habitats, effectively ending the practice of
capturing elephants and sending them to zoos and entertainment venus around the
world.
While
elephants in western, central and eastern Africa have long been listed among
the species in need of most protection under CITES, and thus banned from all
trade, some trade has been permitted in southern Africa, where elephant
populations are healthier.
Zimbabwe
has for instance captured and exported more than 100 baby elephants to Chinese
zoos since 2012, according to HSI.
"The
preliminary decision is a remarkable recognition that elephants don't belong in
the entertainment industry," Cassandra Koenen, who heads the wildlife
division at World Animal Protection, said in a statement.
"It's
a huge step in the right direction."
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