The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority may have misled the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) when it reported having sold 97 baby elephants to China and Dubai in the period 2012 to 2017, but was duped of US$13 million in potential revenue by Chinese buyers, middlemen and corrupt local officials.
In a new report that details corruption in the live
wildlife trade between China and Zimbabwe, international investigative
journalist and filmmaker Karl Amman said the Zimbabwean government figure of 97
elephants sold did not include a 2015 shipment of 24 baby elephants to Qinguyan
Safari Park in China.
A collation of shipment data, customs invoicing and
information from Chinese safari park tenders for African elephants shows that
contrary to government reports, Zimbabwe actually sold 141 elephants to China
and Dubai in the period 2012 to 2017.
While Zimparks may have misled CITES by not declaring some
live elephant imports, it was creamed off millions by Chinese safaris and
middlemen who bought the elephants for prices ranging between US$14 500 and
US$32 000 each to resell at between US$120 000 and US$128 000 each in China.
“Irrespective of the numbers sold, what is equally
interesting is that the revenue declared by Zimparks is around US$32 000 per
elephant.
“The issue here is that we have ample evidence that the end
purchasers paid a lot more than US$32 000 per elephant,” Amman said.
The report also suggests that in some cases, Zimparks
actually charged much more than the US$32 000 it reported for each elephant,
while foreign buyers and middlemen did not report that some of the animals were
meant to be further sold, rented out to zoos or other forms of onward trading.
Eleven of the last 32 baby elephants imported by Longmont
in 2019 were immediately sold to another zoo at three times the sales value
paid to Zimparks.
“Regarding the last 32 elephants exported to Longmont
Safari Park, 11 were further sold to (Ordos City Longsheng Wildlife Park
Company Limited), one of the biggest traditional Chinese medicine and tiger
wine producers, and one was killed in a fight with another elephant.
“The importers declared that they paid US$120 000 per
elephant. This price is declared in a number of customs and importation
documents”
The 2017 shipment to China also involved documented onward
trading in which Ordos City Longsheng Wildlife Park sold four baby elephants
bought in Zimbabwe for less than US$30 000 each for around US$128 000 each,
almost four times the buying price.
Amman said a South African wildlife dealer involved in
securing the elephants sold to Dubai in 2015 said Zimparks was paid US$100 000
per elephant.
“Overall, it is clear that source country Zimbabwe ended
with only 25% of what the end purchasers paid,” Amman said.
“How is the remaining 75% shared? There are transport
costs, and then all the bribes, kickbacks and commissions to a range of players.
“In the case of Zimbabwe, these include well-known Chinese
brokers. There is also reliable information that some Zimparks board officials
cashed in, and there are two brokers/agents listed in China who would have
added their margins.
“If 140 elephants were sold for US$432 000 each and the
price collected from the end purchasers was averaged US$125 000, we are talking
of some US$13 020 000 missing, which would have made a difference on many
fronts,” Amman said.
Corruption, bribery and fraud is also a major problem amid
reports that in Southern Africa, corrupt CITES officials generally demand
bribes of up to US$160 for each permit
per shipment.
Amman said the import and customs declaration information
supplied by Chinese wildlife importers were often reliable because there is no
incentive or motivation to lie since China does not charge import duty or
value-added-tax on African elephant imports.
Efforts to get a comment from Zimparks spokesman Tinashe
Farawo were fruitless.
Zimbabwe has been selling live animals to other countries
across the world for a long time now and, in 1983, the southern African country
made history by becoming the first country on the continent to send away live
elephants.
Zimbabwe continued to export jumbos in subsequent years
during which alleged fake CITES permits were used.
This raised eyebrows among wildlife conservationists as
well as animal activists who repeatedly complained that there was lack of
transparency in the exportations.
“We ended up suing the government in May this year, for
lack of access to information regarding the exports,” a Harare-based
environmental lawyer working with Advocates4Earth, Lenin Chisaira, told The
Standard last year.
According to Chisaira, there was suspicion that Zimbabwe
was failing to satisfy the basic principles of animal welfare that include
provision of a suitable environment and diet, proper housing, and protection
from pain, trauma and disease.
The High Court challenge against the exportation of the
baby elephants is yet to be heard despite being filed as an urgent application
but even if that were to happen anytime, it would be academic as chances of the
return of the animals are minimal.
In 2019, Zimparks released a statement claiming that it had
made some US$3,2 million from 2016, selling 101 elephants and using all of the
money on operational costs that included the purchase of rough-terrain Toyota
Landcruisers.
The authority also bought vehicle spare parts, introduced
dog patrols with part of the money and boosted its armoury with ammunition
worth US$192 000.
Zimparks said it had received the green-light to export
from the Office of the President and Cabinet. A Chinese businesswoman, who
lives in Zimbabwe, has in the past been named as one of the kingpins behind the
illicit trade in baby elephants.
She reportedly has connections with top Zimbabwean
government and security officials, who allow her to operate with impunity.
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