11 January 2013: The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has issued a public statement to explain the application of CITES to African elephants, in light of a recent trade of elephants from Zimbabwe to a zoo in China.

The Secretariat explained that all permits and certificates for trade under CITES are issued and accepted by the designated national CITES authorities of the CITES Parties. Such trade is, in turn, reported by those Parties on an annual basis to the CITES Secretariat and included in the CITES Trade Database. The Secretariat noted that international commercial (and non commercial) trade in certain specimens of African elephants from Zimbabwe (including live animals) is allowed if specified conditions contained in relevant provisions of the Convention are followed.

The Secretariat has communicated with the CITES Management Authorities of Zimbabwe and China to determine the particular circumstances of the elephant trade in question and whether the procedures set out under the Convention and relevant CITES Conference Resolutions were followed. This communication with the relevant Management Authorities is reported to be ongoing. [CITES News]