TOWARDS FREEDOM PROJECT

Since its inception, the EMS Foundation has worked to free Elephants from captivity. This focus area has developed into a specialized EMS Foundation programme with individually focused projects.

In 2015 the EMS Foundation, undertook a review and assessment of the captive Elephant industry in South Africa, entitled The Elephant in the Room, Elephants in Captivity in South Africa. This report was updated in 2019.

In October 2019 the EMS Foundation hosted an international Indaba Taking Elephants Out of the Room. Given that there is a convergence of issues coalescing within Africa around Elephants in captivity, namely: national legislation; CITES regulations, including the question of “appropriate destinations”; and loopholes within CITES in relation to the international trade in Elephants into captivity, the aim of the Indaba was to connect all these dots into a coherent response and to find a way forward for Elephants in captivity. The Indaba brought together a number of key Elephant experts from different disciplines, including scientists, ethologists, ecologists, lawyers and NGOs.

At the close of the Taking Elephants Out of the Room Indaba it was resolved that a formal alliance of humans who embody similar values, knowledge, and objectives regarding freeing Elephants in captivity should be established. The overarching goal of the now, well-established alliance, known as the Pro Elephant Network (PREN), is to facilitate a strong social movement that advocates and litigates locally, within Africa and globally to reverse the culture of imprisonment, captive breeding, capture, abuse, exhibition, management, handling, forced interaction, trading and hunting and any exploitation of African elephants. PREN has, since its inception in 2019, focused their attention on local and international authorities, industry, corporations, communities, NGOs, and others and has provided updated information, through their broad knowledge and experience promoted new policies and strategies all with the common aim to free captive Elephants through rehabilitation and reintroduction to the wild.

TOWARDS FREEDOM – FREEING THE ELEPHANTS FROM THE JOHANNESBURG ZOO PROJECT

Given the number of easily accessible wild reserves where international and local tourists can see Elephants, SANParks also offers Free Access Periods. South Africa is therefore last place where Elephants in captivity can be justified. The EMS Foundation has requested that the administrators and representatives of Johannesburg City, Parks, and Zoo release Lammie, Ramadiba and Mopane, the three named Elephants living at the Johannesburg Zoo.

The Foundation has, furthermore offered to fully fund a lengthy process, where Lammie, Ramadiba and Mopane are reintroduced to the wild, utilizing world renown experts, at a reserve that has had good success with reintegrating Elephants previously exploited in the tourism industry.

The three Elephants in captivity in the Johannesburg Zoo, which is situated in one of the most affluent suburbs of South Africa, do not provide any realistic educational value. Visitors to the Zoo should be entitled to seeing Elephants in their natural wild environments. This experience can be made possible also through virtual experiences, live streaming from the African bush, this opportunity offers dramatic close encounters with nature and Elephants, and was successfully introduced to hundreds of thousands of people around the world during the global pandemic and can be easily be tailored made and offered to thousands of South African children.

The Johannesburg Zoo should be in line with the vision to end inhumane and irresponsible practices that greatly harm the reputation of South Africa and the position of South Africa as a leader in conservation a vision announced by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in May 2021.

The EMS Foundation recognizes that a traditional zoo cannot meet the needs of Elephants for space for movement, mental stimulation, and the enjoyment of natural social groups. The Towards Freedom Project hopes to relieve the three Elephants at the Johannesburg Zoo of their degrading captive situation.