Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
9 October 2024 | 12:00 CAT
3 min read

A legal battle is set to take place in the Gauteng High Court over the fate of three elephants—Lammie, Mopani, and Ramadiba—held at the Johannesburg Zoo. Two non-profit organisations, Animal Law Reform South Africa and the EMS Foundation, have filed a case seeking the release of the elephants into the wild, claiming their confinement is “unlawful and unconstitutional.”

They argue that elephants live in poor conditions, suffer psychological distress, and are deprived of their natural behaviours.

The case draws attention to the broader debate over whether wild animals should be kept in zoos. The court’s decision could potentially lead to the release of the elephants, following a similar outcome with Charlie, the last elephant at Pretoria Zoo, who was freed after 40 years in captivity.

Speaking to Radio Islam, EMS senior researcher for Lead Elephant Projects, Megan Carr explained: “When Charlie was released, he started rumbling; he was communicating with elephants within our reserve and the neighbouring reserve, which he never did when in captivity. He also took his first mud bath two weeks after he was released; we never see him do that because there were no such facilities available, and he is learning how to browse a natural environment, break down trees and eat as elephants do. He was captured at two years old; he wouldn’t have been able to learn these things, which shows us they have a natural inbuilt instinct to be elephants.”

She emphasised that elephants require a large amount of space to stay healthy and happy, and no zoo in the world can offer the necessary environment or the natural foods they need. Elephants naturally select their own food, which makes it impossible for zoos to meet their dietary needs.

According to Carr, this is why many zoos worldwide are shutting down their elephant exhibitions.

The zoo opposes the case, insisting that the elephants are well cared for and that their release would be harmful, particularly for Lammie, who has lived in captivity her entire life. Zoo officials also state that the elephants’ enclosure exceeds international standards and that the animals receive appropriate care, including training, enrichment, and a proper diet.

“Elephants are a big attraction at zoos, so of course all zoos would want to hold on to them,” she said.

Given the heavy caseload in our courts and the numerous priorities the city of Johannesburg has to address, Carr expressed that they would greatly prefer to reach a settlement of some sort with the zoo.

“I don’t know if they would be interested in that type of negotiation. We successfully negotiated for the release of Charlie from Pretoria Zoo, and this remarkable success story has been featured around the world on so many news platforms, which has been very good for South Africa’s image,” she said.

Speaking about Charlie’s progress, Carr said that having been isolated since 2020 and not exposed to the outside world, he has a fresh reaction every time he encounters a new animal. “He has to learn how to walk longer distances as well. He is now going to be introduced into a 26-hectare area, which means he will slowly build up energy and muscle and eventually be offered the opportunity to meet the herd at Shambala, where there are other integrated elephants; that is the hope, but he might choose not to meet other elephants, it will be up to him to choose what he wants to do,” she said.

She expressed confidence that if they succeed in reintroducing the three Johannesburg elephants to a natural environment, the elephants would naturally reintegrate at their own pace and in their own time.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Megan Carr, EMS senior researcher for Lead Elephant Projects, here.