Dumbo drop: Zimbabwe to give NKorea baby elephants

[May 13, 2010]  HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwean conservationists say two baby elephants intended as a gift to North Korea are unlikely to survive the journey by air.

The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Thursday the 18-month-old elephants were being held in pens in the western Hwange National Park, along with pairs of most of the park's other animal species bound for North Korea. The country is a longtime ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Johnny Rodgrigues, head of the task force, says elephant experts do not think the young elephants will survive the trip separated from their mothers.

No comment was immediately available from Zimbabwe's state parks and wildlife department.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.