PRESS RELEASE

22 January 2003

Conservation Officials

Bungle Enkosini Lion Snatch

The Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB) has bungled its confiscation of the 8 Enkosini lions. One lioness has been left behind.

Civil Aviation Authority regulations forbid a pilot to land an aircraft on a private runway without the authority of the owner of the land. The owner of Enkosini's airstrip is Enkosini. The Enkosini trustees notified MPB in writing yesterday that the landing strip was closed. By law the MPB had no legal right to instruct the pilot to use the runway. To emphasis the point, Enkosini placed obstructions on the runway, as well as the white crosses required to warn the pilot not to land.

In flagrant violation of C.A.A regulations, the MPB officials removed the obstructions and two aircraft owned by Mr. Ken Heuer of Lanseria illegally landed on the airstrip. One of the pilots was Ken Heuer himself.

Having unlawfully landed on a runway clearly marked with white crosses, Mr. Ken Heuer then waited for MPB officials to dart and load the lions onto his aircraft.

Enkosini phoned an official of the C.A.A. who advised the Trustees that the Police should be requested to impound the two aircraft. Lydenburg police were at the scene, but were clearly in sympathy with the MPB officials, and refused to do so.

Meanwhile, the lions were in their spacious 15 hectare veld camp, no doubt curious about all the commotion. The MPB officials arrived too late in the day to proceed with darting. Thus they sat and waited until 3.00 pm before beginning to dart. An instruction was given to Mr. Greg Mitchell, an Enkosini trustee, to assist them. He correctly pointed out that the Warrant of Seizure issued by the Lydenburg Magistrate was being challenged in the High Court. It was therefore Enkosini's case that the seizure of the animals was illegal, and that the MPB officials were in effect asking him to undercut the tenor of his legal position and help them to break the law. This he was not prepared to do.

A bakkie with meat was then driven in to the smaller holding camp, and all the lions except the lioness Sasha, followed them in. Scar was darted first and left lying unattended in the blazing hot sun for over an hour. The lion Mpandi was mistakenly darted not once but three times. Thereafter, the officials spent some time chasing Sasha around the large camp with the bakkie, but she eluded them. The officials then left her and carried the seven darted lions to the aircraft. Again in wilful defiance of C.A.A. regulations, Mr Heuer and the other pilot then prepared to use the white-crossed Enkosini runway to take off. At this point, a storm broke, and the aircraft were obliged to take off in a thunderstorm. The lioness Sasha has not been separated from her pride before and her continuous moaning and crying is causing grief for the Enkosini trustees.

"It is interesting to notice how some nature conservation officials behave as if they are above the law," comment Chris Mercer and Beverley Pervan, co-authors of the book For the Love of Wildlife. "They prosecute us at the drop of a hat for any infringements of their own obsolete regulations, yet ride roughshod over regulations imposed by other organs of state such as the C.A.A. We hope that the C.A.A. will follow up this violation of their laws."

Postscript

"So the 8 Enkosini lions which were rescued from the canned lion/captive breeding industry have been lost to the animal welfare community. By the time the issues have been dragged through the courts and all the money that Enkosini would have put into animal welfare has been swallowed up in legal expenses, who knows what the fate of these 7 plus 1 luckless animals will be? Their suffering is just beginning.

Enkosini was like a flower that blooms among weeds and because of its purity and beauty it shows up the weeds for what they are. Love and compassion had to be crushed underfoot by the system - in case it spread.

Yet the Enkosini affair has left its legacy.

The callous and unnecessary brutality of our conservation system has been exposed. So has the hostility to any considerations of animal welfare and the paranoid attacks on the bona fides of any citizen who dares to speak out against their methods.

The shortcomings of the National Council of the SPCA have also been revealed. Where the choice lies between supporting the authorities and protecting the animals, it is the animals who come second. Polishing one's halo with officials is a hard habit to break.

The mainstream conservation organizations were noticeable for their absence and for their deafening silence where compassion cried out for them to join with us against brutality. They are so far from the field of battle that it is doubtful if they are even aware that a battle is taking place.

Once again, the ineffectiveness of the Courts to prevent animal abuse is apparent, just as it was in the Tuli elephant case. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Above all, the lack of transformation from a cruel authoritarian regime to a democratic system of conservation is on display for all to see. Unless the new affirmative action appointments show a greater respect for democracy and the rights of the citizen to participate in wildlife management, transformation is in danger of becoming yet another dirty word in South Africa's sad lexicon; like 'apartheid, and 'conservation'.

Perhaps the most enduring memory will be that of a slip of a girl from America who stood up fearlessly for her rights and those of her lions, against the most vicious and scurrilous character assassination I have ever seen in twenty years as a trial lawyer. Her moral courage and tenacity has been a shining example for civil rightists and animal welfarists alike."

For those wishing to complain about the conduct of MPB officials please write to:

MEC Candith Mashego-Dlamini: mec@nelagri7.agric.za

Premier Ndaweni Johannes Mahlangu: nmahlangu@prem.mpu.gov.za

Onkgopotse Tabane, spokesman for Minister Valli Moosa: tabane@iafrica.com

Contact Details:

Chris Mercer

Kalahari Raptor Centre

Tel: 053 712 3576

Email: krc@spg.co.za