The regulator of global wildlife trade has placed a near-total ban on sending wild elephants from Africa to zoos.

The ban comes after a heated debate during a meeting of parties to the convention on international trade in endangered species in Geneva earlier this week.

The countries that are involved in the trade approved a proposed text after the EU (European Union) included a couple of exceptions in the ban that is imposed.

Zimbabwe and Botswana were tried in vain to block the vote, the 2 countries are the main providers of wild African elephants outside Africa.

87 were in favor of the text, 29 were against it, and 25 were abstaining.

Tense moment @CITES #CoP18 as the world agrees by 3/4 majority to restrict export of wild-caught #African #elephants to other African countries that have or had elephant populations. A win for elephant #conservation & #welfare, & a win for Africa's elephant-depleted #ecosystems! pic.twitter.com/l9TjxxIcOf

— Ian Redmond (@4Apes) August 27, 2019

Audrey Delsink, the director of the Human Society International Africa Division, said, “This is a momentous Cites decision for Africa’s elephants.”

The ban that is imposed is only going to affect wild African elephants. Elephants from Asia are already protected against international trade.

The initial cites vote was done to place a limit on the trade of wild African Elephants so they could stay in their natural habitat.

African Elephants were captured and were traded to different countries for entertainment and for zoos.

The EU drafted an amended text that added a loophole, and said that wild elephants should stay in their “natural and historical range in Africa, except in exceptional circumstances”.