164,000 Join Pierce Brosnan in Petitioning to Save Baby Elephants from Export

After Zimbabwe’s government admitted to capturing baby elephants for international export, activists will deliver over 164,000 petition signatures to Zimbabwean Parliament protesting the move

ZIMBABWE — Despite warnings that taking baby elephants from their mothers can kill them, in late 2014 the Zimbabwe government admitted to capturing 36 baby elephants, one of which has died. The remaining 35 calves are now set to be exported to undisclosed recipients in the United Arab Emirates, France and China.

Activists from various groups will deliver more than 164,000 signatures gathered on a Care2 petition authored by model and Peace 4 Animals founder Katie Cleary and Social Compassion founder Judie Mancuso. The petition asks U.S. Consulates for China, Zimbabwe and the UAE to stop the transport and rehabilitate and release the animals. The delivery will coincide with the Jan. 27 Zimbabwean Parliament meeting, where officials will address the issue.

VIEW THE CARE2 PETITION HERE: http://www.care2.com/go/z/Zimbabwe

On Dec. 8, actor Pierce Brosnan weighed in on the issue on his Facebook page, writing: “I am deeply saddened to learn that 36 baby elephants have been brutally taken from their mothers and are currently awaiting shipment to the UAE and possibly China. We need your help and voices to protect these babies and to stop this shipment of wildlife cargo.”

The capture came to light thanks to the work of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. Johnny Rodrigues, an activist who leads the group, told National Geographic that Zimbabwe’s wildlife officials "don't listen to scientists, to reason, to people who study these animals. We should bring our laws on par with the world. And we do not."

Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson, has also weighed in on the controversy.

"The world is slowly waking up to the fact that animals, and certain animals especially, are sentient beings that experience strong emotions like sorrow, heartbreak, family love subsequent fear of abandonment,” he says. “It is now imperative to treat the animals accordingly and respect their familial sanctity. The actions of certain parties who would disrupt such sanctity for the purpose of a private or profitable venture are as criminal as if they were so disrupting the sanctity and peace of a human family. We must not let our human culture destroy the lives of these creatures and so damage the structure of our own moral integrity beyond repair."

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) recently rounded up about 36 baby elephants, 10 lion cubs and 10 rare sable antelope. The baby elephants are between two and a half and five years old. Visitors saw government helicopters and ground teams fire shots above the elephants’ heads, separating the baby elephants from the herd. Government officials then roped the young animals together. “These animals have been unfairly pulled away from their natural habitat, all so a few greedy humans can profit,” Cleary says. “Myself and tens of thousands of others who have signed the Care2 petition urge these nations to do what’s right to rehabilitate these animals and reunite them with their families.”

Cleary hopes her Care2 petition will urge U.S. officials to step in and stop the export. Cleary points out that Zimbabwe’s export is in conflict with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an international treaty drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife against over-exploitation.

“We must join forces to help our friends on the ground in Zimbabwe to save these babies from export and a life of torture,” says Judie Mancuso, founder and president of Social Compassion, an animal welfare group that has led the coalition effort in the U.S. Social Compassion has received photos and video of the baby elephants being held in wooden pens in Zimbabwe; they are available upon request.

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Care2 (www.Care2.com) is a community of 27 million standing together for good. People are making worldchanging impact with Care2, starting petitions and supporting each other’s campaigns to help individuals, animals and the environment. A pioneer of online advocacy since 1998, Care2 is a B Corporation, or social enterprise, using the power of business as a force for good.

CONTACT: Brett Abrams 5168411105,
brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com