An alleged plan of exporting 35 baby elephants to China and Pakistan had created an uproar among wildlife activists in Zimbabwe.
Advocates4Earth, an environmental group previously known as the "People and Earth Solidarity Law Network," had claimed that the transaction had been settled last year and the only reason why it was delayed was because of the case they filed to the High Court in May this year.
Lenin Chisaira, director of Advocates4Earth, claimed that the elephants are detained at Hwange, Zimbabwe's biggest national park. The shipment date is reported to be on Oct. 17 or the day after. He also claimed that the details about it were barred from anyone, including conservationists and the media.
The wildlife authorities of Zimbabwe denied the allegations.
Tinashe Farawo, the spokesperson of Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, claimed that the baby elephants were detained for medical and other management purposes.
The activists claimed that if the sales proceeded, the government will violate the country and the international animal welfare's regulations. They also described this act as "reckless disregard of the court process."
According to the recent resolution at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting, trading African elephants outside its continent is illegal.
In defence, Farawo said that the deaths caused by wild animals should be a more heated issue than this "fiction." According to him, the serious problem of overpopulation of wild animals had caused them to invade human territories in search of water and food.
It is reported by CNN in May this year that Zimbabwe, through the announcement of Farawo, has earned at least $2.7 million from selling at least 90 elephants to China and Dubai. He even said that the "ballooning" number of elephants makes sustaining them more difficult and that these elephants "must pay" for this conservation effort.
Due to drought, water levels were also running low in the conservation areas, and game parks have to use borehole water, which is really costly.
Tourism minister Prisca Mupfumira said that the country can only cater to 55,000 out of the 85,000 wild elephants. This overabundance had led to the proposal of uplifting the ivory trade ban imposed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the global organization responsible for regulating the trade of endangered species.
Some African countries, like Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia, had lifted the ban already. If Zimbabwe will follow the lead, it is expected to sell at least $300 million worth of ivory.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa claimed that proceedings of elephant exports are needed to fund the conservation efforts. The government reported that they earned at least $2.7 million from selling at least 90 elephants to Dubai and China in May.