Justice for Elephants of Eden - review judgement
Justice for Elephants of Eden - review judgement
The Issue
MEDIA STATEMENT
ISSUED ON 20 November 2015
NSPCA GRIEVES FOR ELEPHANTS
In May 2014 the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) laid animal cruelty charges against Elephants of Eden, the Knysna Elephant Park, their directors and management in terms of the Animals Protection Act, 71 of 1962 for cruelty to elephants. This proved necessary after the NSPCA received horrific footage depicting the cruel and abusive training methods employed to control and train baby and young elephants for their future, captive lives in the elephant-based tourist industry.
Despite our efforts on behalf these elephants, Advocate J. C. Coetzee, the Director of Public Prosecutions : Grahamstown (in a letter dated 12 November 2016) confirmed to the NSPCA his decision not to prosecute the case, stating that he had not been persuaded that “the ‘training methods’ employed indeed constituted ‘cruel’ treatment and/or caused ‘unnecessary’ suffering to the elephants involved.”
“We are shocked and don’t feel that justice has been served,” said Senior Inspector Isabel Wentzel - “The facts have been disregarded, despite the factual evidence as well as the supporting evidence of national and international elephant specialists who confirmed the excessive and extensive physiological and psychological injuries suffered by the elephants. The elephants showed signs of severely swollen legs and feet, debilitating abscesses and wounds resulting from the abusive use of ropes, chains and bull hooks – injuries sustained at Elephants of Eden.”
The NSPCA remains opposed to the removal of elephants from the wild and ‘taming’ them for lifelong captivity. Since the Tuli elephant case (the NSPCA uncovered unacceptable training methods and laid criminal charges) which began at the end of 1997, the NSPCA has been calling upon our government to enforce stricter measures to protect elephants.
This protection has not materialized. Please sign this petition urging the courts to revise their decision or get a different judge to view the case.
We grieve for our country’s elephants.
~~ End ~~
The Issue
MEDIA STATEMENT
ISSUED ON 20 November 2015
NSPCA GRIEVES FOR ELEPHANTS
In May 2014 the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) laid animal cruelty charges against Elephants of Eden, the Knysna Elephant Park, their directors and management in terms of the Animals Protection Act, 71 of 1962 for cruelty to elephants. This proved necessary after the NSPCA received horrific footage depicting the cruel and abusive training methods employed to control and train baby and young elephants for their future, captive lives in the elephant-based tourist industry.
Despite our efforts on behalf these elephants, Advocate J. C. Coetzee, the Director of Public Prosecutions : Grahamstown (in a letter dated 12 November 2016) confirmed to the NSPCA his decision not to prosecute the case, stating that he had not been persuaded that “the ‘training methods’ employed indeed constituted ‘cruel’ treatment and/or caused ‘unnecessary’ suffering to the elephants involved.”
“We are shocked and don’t feel that justice has been served,” said Senior Inspector Isabel Wentzel - “The facts have been disregarded, despite the factual evidence as well as the supporting evidence of national and international elephant specialists who confirmed the excessive and extensive physiological and psychological injuries suffered by the elephants. The elephants showed signs of severely swollen legs and feet, debilitating abscesses and wounds resulting from the abusive use of ropes, chains and bull hooks – injuries sustained at Elephants of Eden.”
The NSPCA remains opposed to the removal of elephants from the wild and ‘taming’ them for lifelong captivity. Since the Tuli elephant case (the NSPCA uncovered unacceptable training methods and laid criminal charges) which began at the end of 1997, the NSPCA has been calling upon our government to enforce stricter measures to protect elephants.
This protection has not materialized. Please sign this petition urging the courts to revise their decision or get a different judge to view the case.
We grieve for our country’s elephants.
~~ End ~~
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Petition created on November 20, 2015