Thriving elephants face big new cull
By Mike Pflanz
Hundreds of elephants could be culled under plans announced in
South Africa yesterday.
Elephant populations have soared after a ban on culling was
introduced in South Africa
In the face of a soaring population, culling is one of a range of
measures, including contraception, being considered to cut the
damage elephants cause to the environment.
There are now 17,000 elephants in the country after a 13-year ban
on culling, and the number could double by 2020.
"Culling and contraception I would personally have preferred not to
consider, but I am persuaded that all these options have a
potential role to play under different circumstances," said
Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the environment and tourism
minister.
"In an ideal world, humans would co-exist peacefully with other
life forms in a natural state, but this is no longer
possible.
advertisement
"However... the management of our natural resources should be
conducted ethically, humanely and rationally. Wilful cruelty to
animals must be condemned and avoided at all costs."
Culling is usually carried out by rounding up elephants with
helicopters. The animals are then darted with a muscle relaxant
before rangers on the ground shoot the animals.
Whole families are killed because juveniles often do not survive
without their parents or extended relative group.
"It is an extremely emotive issue, and any decision to bring back
culling, which no one wants to do, is never taken lightly," said
Rob Little, the director of conservation for the World Wildlife
Fund in South Africa.
"Culling has to be a last resort, and it is good to see the
minister has made it the last resort, but let's not forget that the
authorities have the responsibility to preserve the biodiversity of
all habitats they manage. One single species cannot be
sacrosanct."
South Africa introduced a moratorium on elephant culling in 1995,
after conservationists argued that the practice was having no
proven bearing on reducing the impact of large herds on their
habitat.
A single elephant devours up to 300kg of grass, leaves and twigs a
day, and 60 per cent of the branches and bushes they tear down is
wasted. The country culled 14,562 elephants between 1967 and
1995.
Since the ban, the number of elephants in Kruger National Park,
which is home to two thirds of South Africa's elephants, has jumped
from 8,064 to 12,427.
Aside from the environmental impact, overcrowding is already
affecting the elephants themselves. Cow elephants still live to an
average 65 years, but fighting for primacy between bulls has
reduced their lifespan to 45 years.
"The problem is one of space," said Jason Bell-Leask, the southern
Africa director for the International Fund for Animal
Welfare.
"There are increasing pressures from people living and growing
crops near elephant habitats, which limits the space the elephants
can move around in.
"If too many elephants are concentrated in one place, their impact
on their environment is going to be that much greater.
"We knew culling was going to be one of the minister's options, but
what is exciting is that he has shown he is keen to look at other
tools for managing elephant populations."
The Draft Norms and Standards document launched by Mr van Schalkwyk
yesterday will be open to public consultation for two months,
before the process begins to enshrine it in law.
Culling is the last of five options for elephant population
control. Top of the list is a greater focus on investigating ways
to give the current numbers more land to roam.
Corridors between elephant habitats could be created. Larger game
reserves, dubbed "megaparks", crossing national boundaries could be
formed to ease pressure in South Africa by encouraging herds to
migrate into Mozambique or Zimbabwe, for example.
Contraception, which is fired into the elephant by dart, could also
be extended, but it is only viable for smaller populations as it
must be administered annually and individual elephants must be
tracked and managed.
In vast habitats such as the Kruger National Park, culling may be
more appropriate, but is likely to face stiff criticism from animal
welfare groups.
telegraph.co.uk