On Monday, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced that 40 white rhinos will be transported to the United States (US) for breeding purposes.
Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said the transaction involving the privately owned rhinos is completely legal.
“These are privately owned animals, they are on a private estate and the person decided to sell the rhinos,” Muyunda said.
The rhinos will be airlifted from Hosea Kutako International Airport on Monday to be transported to Texas.
The owner was provided with an export licence and the transaction followed the proper ministerial frameworks, he said.
Muyunda expressed the ministry’s hope that the rhinos don’t die in transit.
This is because the ministry had no basis to control the conditions and negotiations of the private transaction, he added.
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