INDIAN GOVERNMENT WOULD LIKE TO TAKE BACK TABLE MOUNTAIN TAHRS TO INDIA

February 28, 2001

FOR ATTENTION: NEWSDESK: IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION RE TAHRS ON TABLE MOUNTAIN

FROM FRIENDS OF THE TAHR, 27 FEBRUARY 2001,

On 27 February, Minister Manika Gandhi, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment and Minister of State for Animal Welfare in the Indian Government, faxed Minister Valli Moosa of the South African Government of Environmental Affairs and Tourism [please contact us if you require a copy of the fax –hard copy only] with a formal government to government request for the Table Mountain tahrs to be translocated back to India, where they are regarded as a valuable asset. A sanctuary will be created for them, most probably in Kerala. The Dept of Foreign Affairs, as per protocol, has also been informed. Minister Gandhi urged Minister Moosa to ensure that no violent action be taken against the tahrs as a humane alternative was now possible.

Friends of the Tahr, a Cape Town based interest group which has been trying to save these animals from being killed by South African National Parks, contacted Minister Manika Gandhi of the Indian Government on Sunday 25 February and spoke to her about the tahrs and told her that they were all about to be killed.. (This killing in contravention of the moratorium obtained by the Public Protector, which SANP now unilaterally had decided had expired ie they considered that they had now fulfilled their constitutional obligations in this matter and contest that there could be any further delay in implementing policy re "removal" of the tahr).

The tahr has lived on Table Mountain as a species since the 1930s. Cecil John Rhodes first brought them to the Cape as they are beautiful and remarkable animals. They are now considered an undesirable "alien" in what has been proclaimed a national park. Claims that they damage the indigenous biodiversity are the rationale behind the killing. National Parks did not do any impact studies prior to killing them. These were deemed unnecessary. The killing started in May 2000 and 57 are dead of the original estimate of 84-100. Many died of asphyxiation over several minutes as were darted with a paralysing surgical muscle relaxant "Scoline", which left them fully conscious and terrified while dying. Others were shot. The remainder were due to be shot right now, this time using soft-tipped "dum dum" bullets. SANPARKS have stated that they find this acceptably humane. Their official policy as stated is ‘the humane removal of alien fauna’. Killing them is considered ‘humane removal’.

Minister Gandhi expressed great concern, as she informed us that the tahr were now highly endangered in their native habitat and in fact only numbered about 200. She indicated that the Indian Government would like to have ‘our’ tahrs back, and that she would be in touch with Minister Moosa, who she knew from the CITES convention.

Yesterday the CEO of SANPARKS , Mr Muvuso Msimang, indicated to the office of the Public Protector that if a formal request for these tahrs were made by the Indian Government to the South African Government that "this changes everything" and they would be obliged to try to assist. The South African Government would also have to agree. This formal request is now on the record.

Obviously the details of how this is to be done must still be ironed out with relevant personnel. Friends of the Tahr are aware that scepticism is being voiced by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and SANPARKS about the ability of highly experienced New Zealanders, who have 12 years and 20 years’ experience behind them, in helicopter netgun capture techniques. However the New Zealanders have consistently stated that they can do this, that there is some danger involved but it is their work, and that the tahr could be captured. They furthermore state that very few people in the world know how to do this. No-one at SANP knows how. The New Zealanders are interested in capturing the tahr. They tell us that tahr travel well and the mortality rate is very low. 50 were quite recently relocated from New Zealand to Argentina using their techniques and all survived. One of them told us that " it is not a problem to capture the tahr. From a technical, humane and efficient standpoint, net gun capture is unquestionably the most beneficial method…there is no question about the fact that net gun capture by an experienced crew is possible and is the most humane and efficient method known today".

Friends of the Tahr are extremely grateful to the Indian Government for their offer to save these animals and have them relocated to the land of their ancestors. Their offer is just in time to save the remaining few from being killed. SANPARKS’ CEO Mr Muvuso Msimang is also to be commended for his openness to this request by the Indian government to save the lives of these animals.

The details will obviously take some time to work out. Minister Gandhi has requested that no violent action be taken by SANPARKS while this process is done. However once there is an agreement in principle, everyone concerned can work together to achieve this living solution for a highly endangered species.

Friends of the Tahr, 27 February 2001.