Thirteen elephants set to be flown from the UK to Africa in world-first
rewilding attempt
Xantha Leatham, Daily Mail
December 23, 2023
See link
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12897071/elephants-flown-UK-Africa-rewilding-attempt.html
for photos.
It certainly fits the criteria for a jumbo operation. Thirteen elephants
are to be flown to Africa from Britain in a world-first rewilding attempt.
The herd, from Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, were all born in
captivity and range from two to 34 years old.
Weighing a total of 25 tons, they will be flown in two Boeing 777 cargo
aircraft 4,500 miles across the globe to their ancestral homeland in Kenya.
While there have been smaller rewilding attempts with individual elephants
– or at most a pair – this will be the first time an entire herd has been
rewilded.
The Aspinall Foundation, the charity which works in partnership with
Howletts, says it strongly believes the elephants there – and all the other
animals – belong in the wild.
And it has called for other zoos to follow suit. The herd is already being
trained to walk into the custom-built crates for when the day eventually
comes to fly them to their new home. A vet and keeper will accompany them
at all times.
Although travel arrangements are yet to be confirmed, the elephants will be
sedated but conscious during the eight-hour flights.
The charity has already successfully rewilded other species from both
wildlife parks it works with, Howletts and Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve.
They include black rhinos going to Tanzania, Western lowland gorillas to
Gabon and Congo and clouded leopards to Cambodia.
The elephants are housed in an eight-acre enclosure and are one of the most
successful breeding herds of African elephants in Europe.
They include Tammi, the 34-year-old matriarch of the herd, teenagers Jara
and Jama, and sociable Mchumba, who 'loves his food'.
The two youngest are Oku, named after a lake in Cameroon, and Nguvu, which
is Swahili for powerful and energetic.
Although they are receiving the best care possible in captivity – and are a
hit with visitors – the charity says it is 'still not good enough'.
Amos Courage, director of overseas projects for The Aspinall Foundation,
said: 'We have the biggest herd in the UK, one of the biggest enclosures in
Europe, and I think we have... the best care of elephants anywhere in the
world. But it's still not enough. They're too big an animal, they're too
intelligent, they're too active to keep in captivity.'
The foundation is negotiating with the Kenyan government over permits, but
they hope to rewild the elephants at Golini-Mwaluganje Community Wildlife
Conservancy.
The reserve, in the eastern Kwale County, is fenced and covers 30,000
hectares. It is already home to other elephants, zebra, warthogs, waterbuck
and baboons.
There will be no predators – such as lions – and the herd will acclimatise
to new food and water sources in a holding enclosure, known as a boma,
before being released.
They will also be closely monitored by vets and conservationists in the
years following their rewilding.
South Africa-based firm Conservation Solutions, which is organising the
transportation, previously worked with Prince Harry in 2016 on one of the
largest elephant relocations ever.
Around 500 were transferred to a nature reserve home in Malawi.
Mr Courage said his 'dream' would be to see the young male elephants in the
herd, once released, looking to mate with females and have offspring of
their own.
He added: 'I don't think zoos are needed... You can see things on TV now.
You don't need to see animals behind bars.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12897071/elephants-flown-UK-Africa-rewilding-attempt.html