There has been an attempt to relocate Tusker in the past which didn't quite go according to plan and when Johnny Rodrigues (Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force) went to National Parks Headquarters and told them what had transpired, they showed compassion for Tusker and agreed that he can remain in Kariba.

They won't shoot him as long as he doesn't hurt anyone; however, there are conditions to this reprieve. It was agreed that the reason Tusker has become so habituated to humans is because people feed the wild animals. There are signs in every National Park in the country, including Kariba, prohibiting the feeding of wild animals but there are people who ignore this.

Tusker, through no fault of his own has become used to people and he has learnt that where humans are present, he will find food. We are extremely concerned about this because we have heard several stories of people feeding him and by feeding him; those people are inadvertently condemning him to death. Although he has never killed anyone, he has been classified as a "problem animal".

After his recent behavior over the 2007 Charara New Years weekend it has been decided that Tusker should be shot. This tragic event will be taking place on the 7th January, 2008.
 Thus we must get as many people around the owrld to sign this petition to the Zimbabwe wildlife authorities as possible in as short a s possible time.

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We, the undersigned, request an immediate halt to the plans to shoot the elephant known as Tusker (or Dustbin) at Chamara NP at Kariba camp and that all possible solutions are sought to mitigate against any human/elephant conflict arising from his habituation to people, that preclude his being killed.

We appreciate your time and consideration in this matter

With respect


_______________________________________________





I cannot stress too much how urgent this is. Also please forward the link of this petition page to as many friends as you know in order to possibly save Tusker's life.

contact Jude at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for assistance.

Lets do it people!
For this Elephant

______________________________________________

For further information on Tusker click here:

http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=248

http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=306

Please sign the petitionhttp://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/628552210

______________________________________________

UPDATE!!!

PETITION IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SIGNATURES, ASSISTANCE AND NETWORKING 1800 SIGNATURES IN 30 HOURS IS A PHENOMENAL RESULT.

UNFORTUNATELY TUSKER WAS SHOT DEAD 24 hrs AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

FOR AN UPDATE ON THE SITUATION PLEASE VISIT
http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=1842&hl

It is with deep regret and sadness that we announce that Tusker/Dustbin
was shot at around 11:30 this morning.

We received well over 4000 signatures from people all over the world in a
desperate plea for his life to be spared. The shooting was scheduled
for Monday, the 7th January so it came as a great shock to hear that he
was shot today.

Tusker's life has been on the line for some
time now but the New Year's party that was held at Charara this year
was the straw that broke the camel's back. We have had reports of drugs
and alcohol being abused at the party by some of the youngsters who
attended. It has been confirmed that they were pulling hairs out of
Tusker's tail and slapping him on the rump and running away laughing.
They were driving around the camp at high speeds, flashing headlights
in Tusker's eyes and hooting at him and we have also had reports of
fireworks and beer bottles being thrown at him. Despite all this
senseless abuse, we have had no reports of Tusker hurting anyone which
is testament to his basic good nature.


His crime, which lead to his death penalty is that he damaged some cars in
his search for food. It is not clear how many cars were damaged. We
have had reports that the number was between 2 and 7.

The authorities will probably argue that they have a responsibility to
protect the humans and that it would only have been a matter of time
before somebody was killed by Tusker. Our argument is that a party of
this magnitude, which is attended every year by thousands of youngsters
should not be held in a National Park. This is why it is called a "game
reserve" and not a "people reserve". There is a sign near the entrance
of Charara camp that states "No loud music after 9pm" and "no
fireworks". The proprietors of Charara camp hire the biggest music
system in Zimbabwe and the music is so loud, it can be heard from 2 km
away. Where were the organizers of the party when the youngsters
started throwing fireworks at Tusker? How do people bring their
children up so that they behave in such a despicable manner?

We would like thank all you wonderful people, from the bottom of our
hearts for trying to help us to save Tusker. We had no idea he was
loved so much by so many people all over the world. Zimbabwe, and
indeed the world has suffered a great loss today.




Goodbye my big friend!

Best wishes

Johnny Rodrigues

Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Tel: 263 4 336710
Fax/Tel: 263 4 339065
Mobile: 263 11 603 213
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.zimbabwe-art.com
Website: www.zctf.mweb.co.zw
Facebook: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15148470211