Concern over wildlife swap

2005-01-24 21:24

Nairobi - The Kenyan government plans to send hundreds of exotic and endangered animals to Thailand in a wildlife swap that drew harsh criticism on Monday from conservationists and concern from tourism officials.

Under the deal, Kenya is to trade more than 300 animals - including elephants, hippos, lions and rhinos - with Thailand in exchange for a small number of Asian tigers and pachyderm training expertise, officials said.

The swap was arranged last year during a visit to Thailand by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, but had attracted little notice until animal welfare campaigners got wind of the arrangement and protested.

An official from the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) said the animals, from about 30 different species, are to be captured from national parks and wildlife reserves and sent to a safari park in northern Thailand starting next month.

"It's a political decision that was reached when Kibaki visited Thailand in October," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"In return, we shall be given a few tigers and expertise on elephant training."

However, the official added that the transfer process was likely to be delayed due to difficulties in preparing the wild animals for living in captivity abroad.

The official added that KWS animal behaviour experts had registered opposition to the trade as "transferring animals from their natural habitat to zoos affects their welfare".

Conservationists, meanwhile, expressed outrage and maintained the plan would harm the animals and efforts to protect them, and damage Kenya's tourism sector which relies heavily on wildlife safaris.

"It's barbaric to transfer animals from their natural habitat to captivity, this will not go down well," respected wildlife expert Daphne Sheldrick said. "We do not need tigers, they are not indigenous animals. And training of elephants ... is abuse of animals."

The tigers will be kept in a KWS zoo pending a decision on their final home, while the Thai trainers will try to educate the local elephants - a more intractable animal than the Asian variety - into doing menial tasks.

Kenyan government officials have defended the deal, citing overpopulation of the species involved, but the state-run tourism board has also questioned the trade, noting that it would likely generate negative attention.

"This might have an adverse effect on our tourism image overseas," he said.

- AFP