Van Schalkwyk's elephantine error
Fiona Macleod
10 September 2007 11:59
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk is having a rough ride after he spent time at a Limpopo outfit that captured young elephants from the wild for elephant-back safaris.
Wildlife groups are furious after Van Schalkwyk visited Elephants for Africa Forever (Efaf), an elephant training outfit that caused an outcry in April last year when it "kidnapped" six elephants aged between six and 12 in the Selati private game reserve.
The minister and Efaf co-founder Howard Blight denied this week that Van Schalkwyk had actually ridden an elephant. A Limpopo journalist who accompanied the minister said he was not allowed to be present during the visit, so could not vouch for this.
Critics said the visit nonetheless indicated the minister was taking sides in a bitter debate about whether elephant-back riding, and particularly capturing juvenile elephants from the wild, should be banned -- this at a time when Parliament is considering draft legislation for the regulation of the industry.
Various groups lobbying against elephant riding said their repeated requests for an audience with the minister have fallen on deaf ears.
"By visiting Efaf he acted in a biased way, deliberately sidelining those organisations and individuals who are lobbying against the industry. We are frankly dismayed and appalled by the minister's lack of fair consultation," said Michele Pickover, a spokesperson for Animal Rights Africa.
Efaf has trained at least 22 of the estimated 92 elephants used for riding in South Africa. The Mail & Guardian reported in April last year on legal steps taken by opponents against the Limpopo provincial government after Efaf captured the six young elephants in Selati, in the far north of the province.
The capture was described as a "traumatic 10-hour ordeal" during which adult members of the elephant herd had to be chased away with gunshots. A representative of the National Council of the SPCA, who was present, subsequently resigned as a result of the ordeal.
Rob Snaddon, chairperson of the Selati Owners' Association, said the decision to catch the youngsters for training at Efaf was taken because there were too many elephants in the reserve. Since then no more elephants have been captured at Selati.
The minister's spokesperson, Riaan Aucamp, told the M&G this week that Van Schalkwyk visited Efaf, based near Tzaneen, last month during a tour of Limpopo tourism outfits "merely to observe activities. It was not part of the formal consultative process relating to the development of norms and standards for elephant management."
The draft norms and standards, which cover a wide range of contentious topics relating to managing elephant populations, including culling, were published for public comment in May and were presented recently to Parliament. Aucamp said Van Schalkwyk was "aware of the sensitive issues surrounding the use of elephants in captivity" and all key stakeholders would be consulted before the norms and standards were finally published.
But Jason Bell-Leask, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, which published a comprehensive report on the commercial use of captive elephants in South Africa earlier this year, said his organisation was struggling to get an audience with the minister on the issue.
"We are campaigning against the removal of juvenile elephants from the wild. Efaf is pushing an agenda and has had an audience with the minister. Now we want an opportunity to present our point of view," said Bell-Leask.
When his organisation raised questions about the minister's visit to Efaf, he said, it was informed by Aucamp that "the minister does not need your or anyone else's permission to visit places pertaining to his portfolio".
In its report the animal welfare group points out that issues surrounding the management of captive elephants "have not been publicly debated to any significant degree and have been largely lost in the broader discussion relating to culling".
There are no enforceable regulations, despite the fact that the elephant-back safari industry is growing. This has implications for the welfare of the elephants and the safety of the public, trainers and handlers, says the report.
Other wildlife organisations that have criticised the removal of elephants from the wild for any captive use include the IUCN-World Conservation Union and South African National Parks.
Pickover said the practice was "cruel and unethical. It is strongly condemned by elephant behavioural specialists and is contrary to international norms."
After his visit to Efaf, Van Schalkwyk was obliged to listen to critics of the outfit, said Pickover. "The minister needs to right this wrong as soon as possible by setting up a meeting with ourselves and others who are lobbying against the industry."
Article at: http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=318800&area=/insight/insight__national/
