Zimbabwe's wildlife agency revealed on Thursday that it sold 35 elephants to China to curb overpopulation and raise conservation funds.

This is the first time Zimbabwe has confirmed the sale of elephants on Dec. 23 after animal welfare activists announced last week that a plane carrying animals was headed to China.

Like Us on Facebook

Zimbabwe's government said that the move was necessary to support its people and conservation efforts, adding that it also plans to sells its ivory stockpile for millions of dollars, according to the CBS News.

Although the price for the 35 elephants was not revealed, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said it was "turning to friendly countries to extract value out of our wildlife."

Furthermore, the agency also did not specify if the elephants sold were adults. However, it made clear that the sale was in accordance with international laws, adding that it has already sold other animals to Europe and the United States before, according to the Washington Post.

The 35 captured elephants from Hwange National Park were reportedly flown and distributed to China's Shanghai Exhibition Park, Beijing Wildlife Park, and Hangzhou Wildlife Park.

Meanwhile, animal rights groups criticized the sale of elephants to China. In defense, Zimbabwe's wildlife agency said that its conservation efforts are limited on selling ivory stockpile and trophy hunting for certain endangered species.

It further revealed that Zimbabwe's government do not allocate funds for animal conservation and that the wildlife agency is raising its own money for support. The agency said Zimbabwe has around 36,000 more elephants than it can support.

Tagszimbabwe china elephants, zimbabwe elephants, zimbabwe animal conservation, Animal welfare