Thursday, April 30, 2020

Mystery Surrounding The Export of Chimpanzees to China


Chimpanzees | WWF


Mystery Surrounding The Export of Chimpanzees to China

In July 2019 18 Chimpanzees were exported to China. They had CITES documentation but these show significant non-compliances with CITES and with the South African CITES Regulations, 2010.

WHERE WERE THESE CHIMPANZEES BRED?
 Perhaps somebody from PAAZA can answer the question.

This export has strong similarities to the Taiping Four case but less questions are being asked. Probably because it is Chimpanzees and not Gorillas,

The exporter was Hartbeespoort Snake and Zoo Park in North West Province, but it appears that Ms. Christa Saayman from Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wildlife Park in Limpopo Province, acted as the export agent.

The importer was Beijing Green Landscape Zoo, also known as Beijing Wildlife Park (BWP). 18 chimpanzees arrived in China but it is understood that BWP only has 15. It is unclear where the remaining 3 are. There is no evidence that they were returned to South Africa, but there is some information that they may possibly have been taken to Jinan Zoo.

Chimpanzees are listed on Annex 1 of CITES. In terms of the “fundamental principles” of the Convention, Annex 1 species are those “threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade. Trade in specimens of these species must be subject to particularly strict regulation in order not to endanger 2 further their survival and must only be authorized in exceptional circumstances.”

It is understood that some of these Chimpanzees were pregnant at the time of export.










photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Chimelong Marine Science Park






Chimelong Marine Science Park

Chimelong Marine Science Park was supposedly to open on the 1st May but because of the Covid -19 pandemic I can assume there will be some delays.
See renderings of construction HERE

Currently 103 cetaceans are maintained at the Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom. These are:

22 bottlenose Dolphins, 43 Beluga Whales, 1 False Killer Whale, 5 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, 9 Killer Whales, 10 Pacific white-sided dolphin and 7 Pantropical spotted dolphin.


The new breeding center aims to “help cultivate the public’s awareness of whale protection, develop related studies, and progress toward killer-whale breeding.”







photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant