NSPCA lays charges against Garden Route elephant park (sensitive pics)

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The National Council of SPCA's has laid animal cruelty charges against Elephants of Eden, defined as a safe haven for elephants, situated between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.

This, after the NSPCA received footage depicting cruel and abusive training methods employed to control and train baby and young elephants for their future in the elephant-based tourist industry.

The charges extend to its' owners and management of The Knysna Elephant Park in the Western Cape where its remaining elephants have recently been moved.

National NSPCA Inspector, Wendy Wilson, says footage was taken on the premises of Elephants of Eden in Alexandria, owned by the same entities that own Knysna Elephant Park.

Wilson says the elephants showed signs of crippling injuries with severely swollen legs and feet, debilitating abscesses and wounds resulting from the abusive use of ropes, chains, and bull hooks.

"It happened through out the time that they've had elephants in training.This specific footage came to our attention recently and it was filmed over 2008, 2009 and 2010. The training that is video taped portrayed how they stretch the animals, how they rope them, chain them, shock them with cattle prodders repeatedly, beat them with bull hooks in attempt to make them comply and listen to instructions. It's all an attempt to get them ready for elephant back safaris and interactions" says Wilson.

According to the NSPCA elephant handlers have been killed at these facilities and others seriously injured.

Wilson says a growing number of people in South Africa and around the world have suffered severe and fatal injuries as a result of the rebellion of trained elephants kept in captivity.

All photo's supplied by:NSPCA
According to the NSPCA these photo's were taken between 2008 and 2010, reportedly on the premises of Elephants of Eden.

The video footage has not been released to the media.