https://allafrica.com/stories/202506040004.html


Zimbabwe to Cull Elephants to Manage Overpopulation


4 June 2025
New Zimbabwe (London)
By Mary Taruvinga


Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has given the Save Valley Conservancy the green light to cull 50 elephants to curb overpopulation.

The growing elephant population is fast exceeding the carrying capacity of Zimbabwe's national parks.

ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, noting that permits have been issued to Save Valley Conservancy for an elephant management exercise.

"The management quota is meant to address the growing elephant population in the region and will initially target 50 elephants.

"According to the 2024 aerial survey, there are 2550 elephants against an ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants in Save Valley Conservancy.

"Over the past five years, the Conservancy translocated 200 elephants to Hurungwe and Sapi in an effort to manage the elephant population and protect the wildlife habitat," he said.

According to ZimParks, elephant meat from the management exercise will be distributed to local communities.

Ivory will be State property that will be handed over to the ZimParks for safekeeping.

Zimparks announced the plan to cull 200 elephants last year amid criticism from some conservationists.

ZimParks clarified that the culling is part of their routine wildlife management practices, and the number of elephants culled is within the approved management quota.

Culling is primarily driven by two factors: the severe drought affecting both wildlife and human populations, and the growing elephant population exceeding the carrying capacity of Zimbabwe's national parks.

Great

Now just wait for the out cry from the ignorant !

Having just returned a few days ago from Hammond, I think this will be a good start.

There were elephants everywhere we went. Every single day, no matter where we went, there was fresh, wet elephant dung in the roads. We saw lots of cows, calves, young bulls but I don’t think we saw a single bull that would have gone even 40 lbs.

In 10 days we saw more elephants, and more buffalo, than all other species combined. Fifty elephants is a good start but what is needed is culling a few hundred every year and doing it for at least 5 years.

I have hunted in the Save (with Doug Duckworth) three times over the years, in 2011, 2016 and 2022. It was very clear that the elephant population had greatly increased during that time. One expects to see knocked down or damaged trees where there are elephants, and in their proper numbers their presence is good for the whole ecosystem. But last time I was at Mokore there were huge swathes of land where there were hardly any undamaged trees.
It is also apparent that they have way too many lions. One day in 2016 I counted nearly 1000 impala as we hunted. Six years later there were far fewer. Doug told me in 2022 that they used to have so many blue wildebeest they would sometimes shoot them for the pot. By 2022 they numbered in the hundreds.
I am glad to hear that elephant culls have been authorized, but I will be interested to see if it actually happens. I have heard that some safari operators do not want to do the culling, both because of the potential PR blowback and because it's dangerous work.

I just got back May 15th hunting in the Save and was told they were going to start culling (I believe) May 28th. It was to be in total 120 and they would do 10 a day for 12 days. They would use chopper to drive and reefer trucks to handle the meat. They would also tan the skins and sell and turn over ivory to Parks. Selling the skins was to help offset the expense involved. As the other said, it was obvious there are an abundance/too many Elephants. According to PH we saw at watering hole 6 bulls and commented that one was a 50 pounder. Also, the elephants we encountered and was hunting were very aggressive. I was also told that they have been trying to get this done for fifteen years. On the surface, I don't like the process but I also first hand understand it. I don't envy the people involved that are doing what needs to be done.

I have to say I also have seen all the elephant damage in the Save. My first hunt there was back in 2007. I was most recently there in 2023. Many fewer big trees, more elephant sign, and more lions, with while still ample plains game, overall it was less park like for the various species.

I’ve heard the BVC is also having lion issues.

Yes, the Duckworths were very clear about the need to actively manage numbers to support the health of the habitat.

I agree that the various publicity campaigns by the anti groups have harmed issues.

Local tribes are resorting to poison more and more for lion kills. Elephant poaching has been cyclical.

I am worried that the god of PR is going to keep things from being done in time to avoid some really bad effects.

The bright side in the Save is how the rhino are doing.

I would never have thought that I would experience running from a rhino that we blundered into hunting. It has happened to me multiple times now in the Save. While I don’t like being scared and running, I have to admit it makes the old stories come to life more for me.

The various game departments do need to stick up for culling.

While I think you can sell culling buffalo or PG, and maybe croc/hippo, there is a big difference culling lions and elephants. Social groupings and dynamics mean you must kill breeding females and young in those species. Killing a whole pride or elephant herd is not something that the average client or appy PH is going to be capable of, let alone safe at.

How many hunters are going to be willing to shoot a lion cub that is judging his shot mother or an elephant calf? Yet that is what culling requires. It’s not glorified tuskless shooting or hunting lioness. It’s killing every member of the group… if you don’t, you get screwed up animal behavior and allow rebreeding to rebound populations.

Put it this way, while I could conceivably do cull shooting of lion or elephant in theory, I know that it is something I would expect to be paid for, not be willing to pay to participate. I also don’t think with less than 10 of each species killed that the average culling operation would consider me experienced enough to think I would be a help.

It’s not the shooting that is the need, but rather the rest of the hunting skill set and then add in small unit tactics.

I hate to say it, but the way this is being described (low numbers at a time) I’m thinking this is less a cull, and more a meat shoot by the local government folks.

I am told by someone on the ground in the Save that they are culling right now on 3 parcels.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I am told by someone on the ground in the Save that they are culling right now on 3 parcels.

Good. That’s the way to do it. Strike while the iron is hot.

By all accounts, it needs doing.

I was in the Save in April, and I observed plenty of elephant damage.

I can well believe that a serious cull is absolutely necessary.

Hopefully that means a return of the issuance of lioness permits for 2026. We had to scramble and change plans for this year's hunt just before the SCI show because they didn't issue lioness quota.

50 Elephants is nothing. They need to shoot five hundred. Yes you have to kill family groups.Lions yes you need to shoot lioness. The money for the local economy is huge. Sorry but Zimbabwe is not that worried about negative publicity.