A new ruling handed down by the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) has put a near-total ban on taking wild baby African elephants and selling them to zoos.

The ruling significantly strengthens restrictions on elephant trade, with the animals now only able to be taken from the wild to be placed in "captive facilities" under exceptional circumstances and subject to approval from a Cites committee.

The countries of Zimbabwe and Botswana had previously been permitted to export elephants to "appropriate and acceptable" destinations.

Zimbabwe – the main exporter of African elephants – voted against the move, as did the US. The European Union backed the ban, which was passed by a vote of 87 in favour, 29 opposing and 25 abstaining.

"After a long and sometimes acrimonious debate at the Geneva meeting, governments voted to ban the taking of live elephants from the wild for export to captive facilities around the world except in exceptional circumstances," said Mark Jones, the Born Free Foundation's head of policy.

"The EU, which had originally opposed the restrictions, changed their vote following intensive negotiations to clarify a number of issues with the African countries that had originally proposed the ban.

"This progressive measure should help to bring an end to the trade in young elephants, particularly from Zimbabwe, that are ripped from their families and shipped to zoos around the world where they are condemned to live shortened and often lonely and barren lives. Born Free has worked for a long time to bring this heinous trade to an end. We will continue to work with our partners in Zimbabwe and elsewhere to secure the greatest possible protection for Africa’s remaining wild elephants."

Between 1990 and 2015, more than 1,774 live, wild-sourced African elephants have been exported internationally. Since 2012, China has imported more than 100 elephants from Zimbabwe, while 17 elephants were exported from Swaziland to three zoos in the US in March 2016. According to media reports, 37 young elephants captured in Zimbabwe were being held in enclosures as they awaited export to captive facilities in China and Pakistan.

Elephants in zoos will not be affected by the ruling, with elephants already in captivity able to be traded freely.