‘Noah’s Ark’ for Cuba as Namibia ships 148 animals

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 Namibian government plans to send 148 animals by air to cuba in an operation tagged “Noah’s Ark” as a part of an agreement reached with President Raul Castro during his visit to the country in 2009.

The list of 23 species of animal that will be sent to Cuba include  Lions, elephants, cheetah, honey badgers, vultures and rhino are among others.

The animals will be at home in Cuba's 845 acre National Zoological Park on the outskirts of Havana, which is already home to around 850 animals.

Namibia's Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said in a statement that Namibia will foot the cost of the operation. Romising Namibians that the plan adhered to international wildlife rules

The capturing of the animals has begun in Namibia's Waterberg Plateau Park and they are due in Cuba by the end of the year.

A group of Cuban scientists are in Namibia observing the capture of the animals by their Namibian counterparts.

Operation “Noah’s Ark has not gone down well with animal rights activists as they are protesting against the action.

South Africa's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said that even before arriving, the animals would ensure a "long and stressful flight".

"It is saddening to note that these animals will be taken out of their natural habitats and sent to a strange land where they will be deprived of freedom and be totally dependent on humans for their daily needs," a spokesman said.

Namibia's leading cheetah specialist, Dr Laurie Marker of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, said that Cuba had a good record on animal welfare in its zoos.

"We would hope that they might consider taking some animals that are already in captivity however as it would be beneficial for promoting the flow of genes going into captivity, and reduce the stresses of moving them," she said.