Published on July 25, 2005

The fate of eight elephants from Thailand remains uncertain as the Australian government and animal welfare groups engage in a bitter battle over plans to make Australia their new home, according to a report by Australian Associated Press.

After months of wrangling, Australia has finally given the go-ahead for the importation of the elephants, which have been held in quarantine in Thailand for nine months.

Five of the elephants will go to a new 13 million Australian dollar (Bt420 million) purpose-built enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo while the other three are earmarked for Melbourne Zoo, Australian Associated Press said.

Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell said he hoped the animals would form the basis of a successful breeding programme to help safeguard the species’ future.

“This decision has taken a long time, I know it’s frustrated a lot of people but it wasn’t easy,” he said.

“I am convinced that the conservation programme can work . . . it will mean the life or death of this entire species.

“The alternative is to turn our back and I don’t think Australians want that.”

But animal welfare groups vowed to fight the importation, calling it illegal and cruel, AAP said.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), RSPCA Australia and Humane Society International (HSI) have lodged an application with the Australia’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal to review the decision.

They have also sought an injunction preventing the elephants from being transported from Thailand until the appeal is heard.

“The importation does not meet the requirements of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,” HSI spokeswoman Nicola Beynon said in the statement, AAP reported.

“Scientific evidence has clearly demonstrated that elephants in zoos breed poorly, suffer myriad health problems, including serious foot and joint complaints and die at a younger age.

“Keeping elephants in zoos is simply cruel. This plan places the welfare of these precious animals at risk and we will fight it to the very end.”

Senator Campbell said legal action would only prolong the amount of time the elephants spent in detention in Thailand.

“It’s not in the interest of the conservation of elephants for this to become a feast for lawyers,” he said.

“I respect those who disagree with my decision and I ask them to respect my decision.”

Although the elephants were bound to become star attractions, Taronga Zoo’s director and CEO Guy Cooper said interest in them wasn’t commercial.

“Our key focus and concern is to do something for Asian elephants, which really are staring at oblivion in the second half of this century,” he told AAP.

And he defended the size of Taronga’s new elephant enclosure, which includes a waterfall and a wading pool.

“It’s not how much land you have for elephants, it’s what you do with the land that you’ve got,” he said.

“The area we have for the elephants is some four to five times the land requirements in the Northern Hemisphere.”

But Australian Democrats senator Andrew Bartlett said the government’s decision “flies in the face of all the evidence and of history”.

“Shipping these endangered animals around the world is highly irresponsible,” Bartlett told AAP.

“There is little chance of Australia ever having a viable breeding population.”

If all goes according to plan, the elephants will be heading to their respective homes in about six months.

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