Zimbabwe's Reported Plan to Export Baby Elephants Raises Outcry Against Animal Trade
For elephants, being held captive in a circus or in zoos is a fate worse than death, says renowned expert Joyce Poole.
News that Zimbabwe has captured dozens of baby elephants from the wild and plans to export them overseas ignited a firestorm of alarm in conservation circles, raising new questions about the policies that govern the trade of live elephants.
Revelations of the capture came to light late last month in a report by an activist group called Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.
The task force alleges that China has "ordered" a number of baby elephants and other wild animals from Zimbabwe. Johnny Rodrigues, an activist who leads the group, says that at least 36 elephants have been captured, along with 10 lions and 10 sable antelopes.
The elephants are allegedly between two-and-a-half and five years old, a highly vulnerable time in their
