This archive report was first published on 6 July 2021.
On July 6, 2021, the United Kingdom made headlines by flying 13 elephants back to Kenya in a historic first-of-its-kind trip.
The flight, which was scheduled to take place in 2020, was made possible by the Aspinall Foundation, a UK-based organization that works to protect and conserve wildlife.
According to Carrie Johnson, the wife of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and head of the Aspinall Foundation's communication department, the elephants were being flown back to their natural habitat in Africa.
"Life in Kent is pretty good for these elephants, all things considered. But Africa is where they belong. 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," Carrie Johnson said in a statement published in The Sun.
The elephants, which include three children, will be placed in two different sites in Kenya that have been identified by the foundation.
The Aspinall Foundation operates two wildlife parks in Kent and the operation is the first ever 'rewilding' exercise from the UK.
Once the transportation was complete, the foundation would work together with the Kenyan government to fight poaching and help the country's economy rebound from the effects of Covid-19.
