THAILAND: The first eight of 100 Thai elephants earmarked for export to Australian zoos are scheduled to leave tonight, despite fierce opposition from animal rights groups who have fought for more than a year to block the move.
They argue that the change of habitat harms the welfare of elephants and accuse the Thai government of shirking its duty to care for the country's national symbol by not taking responsibility for them.
Australia's government approved the transfer of five elephants to Sydney and three to Melbourne last July on the grounds that the animals would be used for breeding - despite claims that the move violates international conventions on animal trade.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Australian Humane Society filed a challenge to the decision, arguing the breeding programme was "quite fantastical", according to the Humane Society's Nicola Beynon.
An Australian judge backed the government in December provided that the zoos met certain conditions guaranteeing the welfare of the elephants.
Since then a special enclosure has been prepared to receive the animals. Taronga Zoo in Sydney has spent €23 million on a home that includes special facilities for the elephants.
About 2,000 elephants remain in the wild and 2,600 in captivity in Thailand. Forty years ago there were 40,000.