Judge Alters Custody of Abused Elephants

A South African judge ruled that 30 young elephants had been treated cruelly and awarded temporary custody of them to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The elephants’ plight had drawn international concern, igniting protests in Washington and London. The elephants’ owner, animal exporter Riccardo Ghiazza, had planned to sell them to zoos in Europe and a safari park in China. In his ruling, Judge Herman Glas expressed particular concern over the treatment of seven baby elephants that had abscesses from being prodded by sharp instruments.