he intention of this petition is to make aware the violation of the Convention of International Trade Endangered Species (CITES) act through the export of elephants, lions and sable; under the age of six, from Hwange National Park to China via the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Our aim is to create a social awareness campaign into understanding the degree in which current and future generations will be affected in Zimbabwe; as wildlife is a finite resource and will affect not only our tourism industry and ecology, but biodiversity and the economy as a whole. Research has shown that the likelihood of the animals surviving at that age is low and reports have surfaced of animals already dying. Wooden pens are currently being used to host the dependant infants till they are shipped in containers to the UAE and then to China; if they even survive at all. Exploitation of our wildlife is not benefiting the local rural communities or the national economy at all. Zimbabwe, the UAE and China have all agreed to the act, although not legally binding, but however have disobeyed the framework safeguarding over-exploitation of certain species. Only through raising our voices and signing this petition can we garner local and international support to protect the wildlife being stolen from its people and future generations to come.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 07:10:27 +0000