Two elephant bulls died while being relocated from The Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview, Mpumalanga to a wildlife sanctuary near Kleinmond in the Western Cape on 23 April.
The elephants, aged 25 and 35, reportedly died while sedated. Owner Craig Saunders told News24 that a ‘highly experienced wildlife veterinary team’ had overseen the process.
Their existing habitat in Hazyview had come ‘more and more under social and environmental pressure and the elephants needed more space’, Saunders said.
Saunders also operates two other elephant sanctuaries, one in Hartbeespoort Dam and one in Plettenberg Bay, where guests can feed and interact with elephants.
The exact details of what led to the deaths have not been confirmed.
Saunders was implicated in an animal abuse case during the 1990s. The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals charged seven men, including Saunders, with animal abuse after video footage showed ‘the horrific treatment of these animals while elephant trainers endeavoured to tame and train them for the tourist industry’, reports the Conservation Action Trust.
Two were found guilty. Saunders was acquitted in 2002.
Picture: Unsplash/Not related
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