It will no longer be legal for wild baby elephants to be snatched from their families and exported to zoos around the world, after Defra ministers persuaded the EU to vote for a ban.

African elephants in Zimbabwe and Botswana were previously allowed to be exported to “appropriate and acceptable” destinations. Under this definition, Zimbabwe has been capturing live baby African elephants in the wild and exporting them to zoos in China and elsewhere.

EU delegates spoke strongly against the ban last week at the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference in Geneva, arguing it would hinder the genetic diversity of elephants in zoos.

However, after heated backroom talks with Defra ministers, the EU performed a spectacular U-Turn and voted for the new legislation.

Now, the trade in wild elephants will be heavily regulated and only allowed in "exceptional" circumstances, and each case will be brought before the CITES committee.

Notably, the United States opposed both the original and amended proposal.