The United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the regulator of global wildlife trade, took a significant step at the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties towards banning the sale of wild elephants to zoos worldwide, which environmentalists say is historic victory.
A large majority of countries at a meeting held in Geneva yesterday voted to ban the transfer of elephants from the wild to zoos, a practice that animal protection groups have long considered cruel.
The voting took place at the convention of CITES members in Geneva, which was attended by thousands of environmental protection experts from more than 180 countries around the world.
The proposal has been voted so far with 46 votes in favor, 18 against, while 19 were abstentions, but it is one of the two committees that guarantee the two-thirds majority required for its passage. At the plenary session of the final meeting of the conference, which will be held on August 28, the approval of the other CITES signatories will be required.
"The decision will save many elephants"
"This decision will save many elephants from being forcibly separated from the rest of the herd in the wild and from spending the rest of their lives in captivity in very poor conditions in most zoos around the world," said Iris Ho, a wildlife expert at Humane. Society International (HSI).
Although the sale of elephants from West, Central and East Africa, which have long been included among protected animal species, was previously prohibited, the trade of elephants from Southern Africa, whose population is considered less endangered, is still allowed, reports Hina.
In particular, the signatory countries have declared themselves in favor of wild African elephants continuing to live in their natural habitat and ending the practice of sending them to zoos around the world.
Zimbabwe, for example, has sold more than a hundred baby elephants to Chinese zoos since 2012, according to HSI.
"This preliminary decision is a strong message to everyone that elephants do not belong in the entertainment industry and I consider it a step in the right direction," said Cassandra Kenen of the World Wildlife Protection Association (WSPA).
Thousands of conference participants from more than 180 countries discuss 56 proposals related to changing the level of protection of wild animals and plants.
The conference was convened after a UN report was published in May stating that a million animal species are threatened with extinction.
CITES is an international agreement whose purpose is to regulate and monitor international trade in wild species and guarantee that it does not threaten the survival of these species in nature.
The agreement was adopted in Washington in 1973, and entered into force in 1975. To date, 182 countries have acceded to it, which makes it the most accepted international convention in the field of nature protection in the world.
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