Accessibility links

Breaking News

Tourists Start Boycotting Zimbabwe Over Controversial Elephant Sales


FILE: A herd of African elephants is pictured on Nov. 17, 2012, in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.
FILE: A herd of African elephants is pictured on Nov. 17, 2012, in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

Some international tourists are reportedly boycotting Zimbabwe following reports that the country is planning to sell about 60 elephants to foreign buyers.

This comes at a time when some environmentalists are attacking the country for selling baby elephants to China and other countries.

Chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce, Johnny Rodrigues, says most tourists are upset about the sale of baby elephants, which has been strongly defended by Acting Environment Minister Walter Mzembi.

please wait

No media source currently available

0:00 0:02:00 0:00
Direct link

Each elephant is expected to fetch about $6,000.

At the same time, Mzembi has invited Hollywood star James Bond to visit Zimbabwe where he says man, flora and fauna exist peacefully.

This after the animal rights activist Pierce Brosnan, who has formerly played fictitious character James Bond, criticized Zimbabwe last week for selling baby elephants to China and other Asian markets.

Brosnan joined other environmentalists in calling for Zimbabwe to stop selling elephants claiming that they are an endangered species.

But Mzembi tells Studio 7’s Ntungamili Nkomo there is no going back on selling the elephants, adding Zimbabwe has even exported animals to countries like the United States.

please wait

No media source currently available

0:00 0:01:59 0:00
Direct link

XS
SM
MD
LG