Ancient baobab trees saved from a Georgia shipment head to sanctuary

Five baobab trees in Durban, each estimated to be 200 to 300 years old, are finally on the move after more than three months on their sides in a warehouse parking area, Joburg Etc reports.

Loaded and on the road

Loading began on Wednesday, 11 November, when the first tree went onto an abnormal-load truck for the 900km trip to Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. Each tree weighs up to 30 tonnes.

Ecologist Dr Sarah Venter of the Baobab Foundation led the rescue, and former Durban Botanic Gardens curator Christopher Dalzell offered his expertise, according to Truck and Freight Information Online. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is working with the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

Why they were stranded

The DFFE intercepted the trees at an Africa Global Logistics warehouse in Mobeni on 17 July, shortly before export to Georgia. They had been removed from Lephalale in Limpopo, and Pretoria company Divine Landscapes had no permits to uproot, transport or export them.

The company says the trees came from private gardens with the owners’ consent. The department refused its retrospective applications and dismissed its final appeal on 27 October. It is due in the Durban Magistrates’ Court in January 2027.

The trees dried out and shrank on the hot paving, but all five are reportedly alive. Eight baobabs exported from Kenya to a Georgian park reportedly died within seven months of planting.

On African Diaspora International‘s Facebook page, one commenter asked, ‘Is there anything they won’t steal from Africa?’

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