During a press conference, journalist Adam Cruise took the opportunity to ask Ivonne Higuero about her thoughts on Zimbabwe’s latest elephant shipment to China. Higuero stated she visited the bomas where the elephants were held and saw they were in good health, aged between two and six years, and had small tusks.

However, many detractors claim some elephants were younger than two years old. Even if Higuero was correct that no elephants were younger than stated, it is insincere to claim the elephants were subadults. Elephants are totally dependent on their mothers until ages 3-5 and do not completely wean until ages 5-10.

In the wild, elephants can expect to live 60 -70 years. With lifespans similar to humans, it is disingenuous to state elephants as young as two years are subadults. A two-year-old human would never be considered a subadult. Higuero completely deflects accusations of allowing trading of baby elephants simply by her word choice when describing them.

Higuero stated she also met with the Chinese veterinarians who were prepping the elephants in Zimbabwe and would be providing care for at least the first month of their time in China. Footage recently surfaced of the baby elephants currently in holding pens at a zoo near Shanghai, China. The elephants can be seen slowly wandering their concrete cells separated from each other by metal bars. The baby elephants are not in good condition and they are not expected to lead healthy lives based on their living conditions.

Higuero made it clear she was aware of the public outcry but communicated CITES needed real evidence of any wrongdoings. From her perspective, no evidence provided up to this point was credible. She added if there was credible evidence presented, CITES would be available to help.

She specifically pointed out how she’s been sent videos of rangers shooting elephants from helicopters with tranquilizers but cannot make any assessments on the situation since she does not know why rangers were darting in the first place. In her opinion, the rangers could have been darting baby elephants because they were ill and needed medical attention.

Cruise stated he had credible footage of rangers mishandling baby elephants for exportation that was published by The Guardian back in 2017. The footage clearly shows rangers darting baby elephants and rounding them up for transport by kicking, pushing, and hitting them. Higuero backtracked on her previous statement and told Cruise the evidence should go to management authorities in Zimbabwe, not to her group in CITES.

Higuero is obviously not the one running the show but she is actively turning a blind eye to Zimbabwe’s mistreatment of elephants in the name of trade between nations. Spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Tinashe Farawo has made it very clear the official position of the country is they must sell the elephants to reduce the population and pay for conservation efforts.

“We view our animals as an economic opportunity, so we should sell our elephants” Farawo stated when discussing the proposal to limit live elephant trade. He continued, “We have too many of them so selling them should not be a problem for anyone. Why should we continue to impoverish our people when we have the resource?”

Farawo’s statements are particularly interesting considering what he told CNN when news first broke Zimbabwe was holding elephants for a future sale to China. “The most important thing you need to know is we don’t sell them,” Farawo stated. He also included how the elephants are typically captured for less severe reasons, like medical treatment.

If you’re keeping track you’ll note Zimbabwe did and always planned to sell the elephants. Farawo’s comment about baby elephants being captured for medical treatment also mirrored Higuero’s comments on the provided video footage.