[LINK] "African Elephants On Their Way to U.S. Zoos, Despite Protests"
National Geographic's Jani Actman reports on the plan to resume the controversial transfer of three elephants from Swaziland to an American zoo.
It’s a done deal. Eighteen elephants from Swaziland are today en route to three U.S. zoos despite an attempt by an animal welfare group to stop the controversial move.
The elephants are bound for the Dallas Zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo, in Wichita, Kansas, and the Henry Doorly Zoo, in Omaha, Nebraska. And the nonprofit Friends of Animals isn’t happy about it.
Here’s how the dramatic events went down: In February, the Connecticut-based group filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision in January to approve a permit for the animals to be transferred to the zoos. A hearing on whether to grant the group a preliminary injunction was scheduled for next week.
In spite of the looming hearing, the zoos moved to anesthetize the elephants and board them on a flight from Swaziland to the U.S., reported The Wichita Eagle. According to the publication, court records show that Friends of Animals was tipped off about the planned transfer by an anonymous source. Its lawyers filed an emergency temporary restraining order to stop the move. The restraining order was temporarily granted-and then reversed.
It’s a done deal. Eighteen elephants from Swaziland are today en route to three U.S. zoos despite an attempt by an animal welfare group to stop the controversial move.
The elephants are bound for the Dallas Zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo, in Wichita, Kansas, and the Henry Doorly Zoo, in Omaha, Nebraska. And the nonprofit Friends of Animals isn’t happy about it.
Here’s how the dramatic events went down: In February, the Connecticut-based group filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision in January to approve a permit for the animals to be transferred to the zoos. A hearing on whether to grant the group a preliminary injunction was scheduled for next week.
In spite of the looming hearing, the zoos moved to anesthetize the elephants and board them on a flight from Swaziland to the U.S., reported The Wichita Eagle. According to the publication, court records show that Friends of Animals was tipped off about the planned transfer by an anonymous source. Its lawyers filed an emergency temporary restraining order to stop the move. The restraining order was temporarily granted-and then reversed.