Rare footage of the capture of
wild young elephants in Zimbabwe shows rough treatment of the calves as they
are sedated and taken away
Adam Cruise and Christina Russo
Tuesday 3 October
2017 11.00 BSTLast modified on Tuesday 3 October
2017 11.49 BST
The Guardian has been given
exclusive footage which shows the capture of young, wild elephants in Zimbabwe in
preparation, it is believed, for their legal sale to Chinese zoos.
In the early morning of 8 August,
five elephants were caught in Hwange
national park by officials at Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority(Zimparks).
These captures are usually kept
as secret as possible. The Guardian understands that in this case the usual
procedure was followed. First, a viable herd is identified. Then operatives in
a helicopter pick off the younger elephants with a sedative fired from a rifle.
As the elephant collapses, the pilot dive-bombs the immediate vicinity so the
rest of the herd, attempting to come to the aid of the fallen animal, are kept
at bay. When things quieten down, a ground-team approaches the sedated
elephants on foot, bundles them up, and drags them on to trailers.
The footage, a series of isolated
clips and photographs provided to the Guardian by an anonymous source
associated with the operation, documents the moment that operatives are running
into the bush, then shows them tying up one young elephant. The elephants are
then seen herded together in a holding pen near the main tourist camp in
Hwange.
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