A total of 13 elephants in a British Zoo are set to be flown into Kenya by the Aspinall Foundation.
Aspinall Foundation is an animal charity in Britain. It will fly the 13 jumbos from their zoo in Southeast England near Canterbury to Kenya.
According to AFP, the charity said it would work with anti-poaching teams to help ensure the long-term survival of the herd.
There will be three calves among the 13.
Carrie Johnson, the charity’s head of communications and wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said the plan would also support Kenya’s economy after the coronavirus pandemic.
“Life in Kent is pretty good for these elephants, all things considered. But Africa is where they belong,” she told The Sun newspaper.
The plan will be executed in 2022 in what they have dubbed as “rewilding”.
“In time, their descendants will number in the hundreds — and then the thousands — and form part of the incomparable ecosystem that helps drive the Kenyan tourist economy.”
The Aspinall Foundation operates two wildlife parks in Kent. This will be the second ‘rewilding’ done by the foundation.
In 2020, it flew two cheetahs back to their native territory in South Africa.