Wildlife foundation sues Environment Ministry

A Namibian wildlife organisation co-funded by international movie star Angelina Jolie is butting heads with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism over allegations that it broke laws by buying, transporting, keeping and breeding animals without the required permits. According to a report in The Namibian, the N/a'an ku sê Foundation, which prides itself in providing a safe haven for injured, orphaned and problematic wild animals, is suing the government, accusing it of trying to force the foundation to kill 217 animals in its care. Documents seen by The Namibian show that the N/a'an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary, situated some 40km east of Windhoek, has faced several criminal investigations in the past three years. Last month, N/a'an ku sê lodged a High Court case against the Environment and Justice Ministries to stop the authorities from killing 217 animals in the organisation's care. This includes 24 endangered African wild dogs, 80 baboons, five lions, five leopards, 10 caracals, 17 meerkats, 70 tortoises and six vervet monkeys. N/a'an ku sê claims the Environment Ministry is making demands that it should set animals free or put them down, and that this is contrary to the obligations of the Ministry. The foundation, founded in 2006 by husband and wife Rudie and Marlice van Vuuren, is well-known globally due to its ties with Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. ‘We will not allow any animal to be killed due to what we believe is the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's incompetence,’ said Van Vuuren.