The transportation of baobabs to Georgia has been blocked by South African authorities amid a criminal case.

South African authorities seized five baobabs from a shipping company intended for shipment to Georgia; a criminal case is being investigated. Several years earlier, eight trees imported from Kenya to Georgia died. The administration of the dendrological park created by Bidzina Ivanishvili accused the opposition of creating delays that led to the death of the baobabs.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", law enforcement agencies in South Africa are investigating a criminal case against an unidentified exporter of baobabs to Georgia due to identified violations. Five trees were being prepared for export to Georgia, while the necessary permits were absent, reported the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. On October 27, during a protest in Tbilisi, one of the activists held a placard "13 innocent baobabs were killed by Bidzina".

Transport of baobabs to Georgia is prohibited in South Africa

In the South African city of Durban, authorities blocked the shipment of at least five baobabs. According to the Daily Maverick, they were intended for a landscaping project in Georgia, as stated in a publication by JamNews "Five baobabs seized in South Africa intended for shipment to Georgia".

According to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment of South Africa (DFFE), those involved in the export of the trees were unable to provide valid permits required for their ownership and export from the country.

Baobabs in South Africa are among the species under special protection. The identities of the buyers of the trees from Georgia, as well as their representatives, have not yet been disclosed.

Kandy Bota, regional marketing manager for AGL, told the Daily Maverick that the company only provided logistics services and was neither the owner of the cargo, nor the exporter, nor the holder of the necessary permits. At the AGL warehouse, at least five baobabs are lying on their side on an asphalted area under direct sunlight; the publication believes they have been there for at least two months.

The publication found that, in addition to the export license, there was no permit for the removal and transportation of the baobabs. On July 27, 2026, the exporter applied for the necessary license for removal, ownership, collection, transportation, export, and acquisition of five protected trees, but on July 31, the department rejected it due to an ongoing criminal investigation. The exporter attempted to appeal the rejection, and the appeal is under consideration by the official responsible for such matters.

In Georgia, the survival rates of these trees, unfortunately, leave much to be desired.

The department initiated a criminal investigation into the case. By law, such an offense carries a penalty of a fine or imprisonment for up to three years.

Dr. Sarah Venter, founder of the Baobab Foundation, noted that while it is technically possible to uproot baobabs and transplant them elsewhere, their survival rates in Georgia are discouraging. "In Georgia, the survival rates of these trees, unfortunately, leave much to be desired," Venter said.

Previously, attempts were made to export baobabs from Kenya to Georgia

On October 24, 2022, The Guardian reported that Kenyan farmers sold baobabs growing on their lands to a group led by Georgian citizen Giorgi Gvasalia. The plan involved uprooting eight trees and transporting them to Georgia.

In November of the same year, the Kenyan Ministry of Environment suspended the foreign company's license for uprooting baobabs, citing a number of violations. The agency also instructed the Kenya Forest Service to stop the movement of the trees.

According to the ministry, uprooting baobabs requires obtaining the proper permits and following a transparent procedure, during which it must be justified what benefit the transfer of the trees will bring to society. The ministry concluded that in this case, the established requirements were not met. In April 2023, the Environment Committee of the National Assembly—the lower house of the Kenyan parliament—began an investigation into the circumstances of the export of baobabs from the Kilifi region to Georgia, writes JamNews.

According to local residents, the company began scouting for baobabs in 2019. Using drones, they searched in Kilifi for trees of certain standards, with "unblemished trunks." They offered 100,000 to 300,000 Kenyan shillings (from $820 to $2,500) for each. At least eight baobabs were successfully purchased, reported "News Georgia" at that time.

These African giants had to spend almost two years in an uprooted state, in completely unsuitable natural conditions and without proper care.

The eight uprooted trees remained in such a state for almost two years and ultimately died.

The dendrological park in Georgia blamed the opposition for the death of the baobabs

According to the Dendrological Park of Georgia, the trees were extracted from the ground back in 2021, but due to various obstacles, their transportation to Georgia became possible only in October 2023. The baobabs were planted in the ground on November 8, 2023.

"These African giants had to spend almost two years in an uprooted state, in completely unsuitable natural conditions and without proper care. Unfortunately, this stress affected them: six to seven months after planting in Georgia, all eight baobabs died," the Dendrological Park stated.

The park administration blamed the Georgian opposition for what happened.

To hinder the unique project, the opposition spread fake news, "complaints based on false accusations," and "endlessly" called "high-ranking officials of various Kenyan agencies, including the president of the country."

Precious time was lost in an endless bureaucratic whirlpool.

"Falsely hired experts were called, facts were falsified, Kenyan baobabs were passed off as Madagascar baobabs listed in the Red Book. Because of all this, the project executors repeatedly had to obtain the same conclusions, phytosanitary certificates, permits from various agencies, etc. Precious time was lost in an endless bureaucratic whirlpool," the administration's statement was quoted by the publication.

The park noted that baobabs that were previously brought to Georgia without delays are now thriving in Tbilisi and Shekvetili. The Dendrological Park, created at the initiative of Ivanishvili, opened in 2020 in the Black Sea resort of Shekvetili. It is adjacent to the billionaire's residence. Part of the park is open to visitors, and admission is free. For several years, giant trees were brought to Ivanishvili's park from all over Georgia. During their transportation, dozens of Georgian villages were left without electricity, trains were stopped, and international highways were blocked, the publication states.

"The Dendrological Park stands out in the entire region for its scale, uniqueness, and diversity of plant and animal collections, original development. The 60-hectare garden brings together thousands of species of local and global exotic flora. Along with a unique collection of plants, the park is home to 58 species of birds from all continents," "Interpressnews" quoted a statement from "Georgian Dream" on the day of the park's opening on July 15, 2020.

It should be noted that in the fall of 2018, the British publication Evening Standard reported that the company Comarco was implementing a contract for the transportation of four live baobabs weighing 250 tons each to the dendrological park owned by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. The four-month project was valued at $850,000.