The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) reports that the criminal case against Elephants of Eden and their directors and management, including Lizette Withers, for cruelty to elephants was brought before the Alexandria Regional Court on 23 February 2018 and has been postponed.
The NSPCA laid criminal charges in 2014 in terms of the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 after receiving horrific footage depicting the cruel and abusive training methods employed to control and train baby and young elephants for their future, captive lives in the elephant-based tourist industry.
The footage had been taken on the premises of Elephants of Eden situated in the Eastern Cape – a property defined as a safe haven for elephants and owned by the same entities who own the Knysna Elephant Park.
The Prosecutor requested that the matter be postponed in order for more information to be added. The next court hearing is on 9 May 2018 in the Alexandria Regional Court.
The NSPCA subscribes to the credo that “wild animals belong in the wild” and is opposed to the removal of elephants from the wild for domestication purposes. We believe that elephants should not be trained, kept in captivity and/or used for entertainment.
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