‘Do the right thing’: DA tells Johannesburg Zoo to free elephants

The DA’s Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) has urged the Johannesburg Zoo to “do the right thing” in releasing three elephants – Lammie, Mopane and Ramadiba – despite a failed court application by animal activists.

The High Court in Pretoria has ruled that the animals, who have sparked concerns of psychological distress, remain in captivity under the zoo’s legal and valid permit.

DA URGES JOHANNESBURG ZOO TO FREE ELEPHANTS

This week, the Johannesburg Zoo welcomed the High Court in Pretoria’s recent ruling that the three elephants, Lammie, Mopane and Ramadiba, may remain at the facility, where they are being cared for by a team of caregivers and veterinary staff.

Lammie was born in captivity, whilst Mopane and Ramadiba have spent the last seven years at the zoo.

The zoo has emphasised that the animals are in good health, both physically and psychologically.

However, their claims have been countered by animal activists and the Democratic Alliance’s Leanne de Jager, who is a member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) for Environment & Climate and the Gauteng Spokesperson for Environmental Affairs, who has urged the zoo to consider rewilding the elephants.

The DA’s GPL shared: “Here’s what matters: the case was dismissed on its legal basis and the availability of administrative review – not because the court found these elephants are thriving. 

“And nothing in that ruling obliges the City of Johannesburg to keep them there indefinitely. The City can still choose to do the right thing”.

De Jager and the party appealed to authorities to “commission a transparent, independent assessment of a properly resourced relocation proposal – addressing each elephant’s health, safety, social relationships and lifelong care – and to report on it publicly”

They referred to another elephant, Duma, who was now “flourishing” at the Shambala Private Reserve in Limpopo, after spending 40 years in captivity at the Pretoria Zoo.

It added: “Space, movement, choice and social bonds are not luxuries for an elephant. They are the difference between surviving and living”

In an application to the court, animal activists EMS Foundation, Animal Law Reform South Africa and Khoi Chief Stephen Fritz appealed for the elephants’ release to the animal sanctuary in Limpopo.

The group stated that the elephants had “displayed signs of psychological distress” and voiced concerns about limited shade, insufficient space, minimal stimulation, inadequate food quality and variety, and safety risks.

PETITION GAINS MOMENTUM

Meanwhile, a petition calling for the elephants release fro the Johannesburg Zoo has garnered close to 150 000 signatures from the public.

Organisers, animal activists, the EMS Foundation, have pledged to appeal the court’s ruling.

It shared: “A permit authorising captivity cannot, in our view, settle the ethical question of whether that captivity should continue. Public institutions responsible for sentient animals should continually assess whether they can offer those animals a better life.

“We call on the City of Johannesburg and Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo to engage meaningfully with a carefully assessed alternative to continued confinement. The dismissal does not prevent them from reconsidering their position and working towards a solution centred on the elephants’ interests.”