Announcement expected on elephant culling plans

The South African environment minister was due today to announce whether the country will resume culling elephants in a bid to slow the rampant population growth of the mighty beast.

South Africa has been hugely successful in managing its elephant populations, once on the verge of extinction in some parts of the country.

But it has now become a victim of its own success and herds are growing at the rate of more than 5 percent a year and expected to double by 2020, threatening the delicate balance of nature.

“We can conserve elephants but we have to start to worry about what we conserve with it,” said Professor Graham Kerley, an elephant expert who works with officials at Addo National Park, where the number of elephants is expected to double to about 900 by 2020.

Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk’s announcement follows months of impassioned debate, with some conservationists arguing that overall biodiversity should take priority and animal welfare groups outraged at the prospect of slaughter.

The government is fearful of upsetting tourists who flock to see the Big Five animals in Addo and the country’s flagship Kruger National Park.

The country culled a total of 14,562 elephants between 1967 and 1994. Without that cull, the population would have rocketed by now to 80,000, according to park estimates. On current trends the population of 17,000 is expected to reach 34,000 by 2020.

The South African National Parks recommended in 2005 that culling should be considered as one of the possibilities.

There is no regional consensus on the issue. South Africa, Namibia and Botswana all have booming elephant populations, while East African nations such as Kenya are struggling.

Trade in ivory has been banned since 1989 to try to combat poaching despite appeals by South Africa to resume sales and invest the proceeds in its parks.

Van Schalkwyk has said that the “no action” option is no longer realistic and that the government must act in the interest of “sustainable conservation.”

A single elephant devours up to 300 kilograms of grass, leaves and twigs a day. And they are messy eaters – 60 percent gets wasted.

“The feeding impact of elephants is enormous because of their large size and the way they feed,” Kerley told a group of journalists visiting the park yesterday ahead of van Schalkwyk’s announcement.

In Addo, they feed on 146 different plant species, of which 75 are classed as rare, he said.

Addo is regarded as a model in elephant management. Each elephant has its own computerised file and a name and park officials can distinguish them even at a distance.

Park authorities are proud at their success in reintroducing the endangered black rhino into the park where it lives in harmony with the elephant, although fear that at some stage they will start competing for food.

“This park is not about elephants and rhinoceros, it is about the full scale of diversity,” said Kerley.

Addo – which is about one hours drive from the southern coastal city of Port Elizabeth – was established as a national elephant park in 1931, after a sustained campaign by local hunters and farmers had decimated the herd to just 11 beasts.

With the acquisition of more land and extensive fencing to protect the animals from harm, the population has mushroomed.

Already the crowding is leading to tensions, according to Kerley. The females live to about 65 years old, but fighting among the bulls has reduced their average life span to 45 years – not long enough for them to grow the mighty tusks that are the trademark of other South African elephant populations.

Kerley said their life expectancy made long-term planning essential. There were no quick fixes, he said.

“These things are not springbok or locusts, you need a long-term solution,” said Kerley.