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Zimbabwe: Govt Mulls Mass Killing of Elephants to Cut Population Size


6 MAY 2021
The Nation (Nairobi)
By Kitsepile Nyathi



Zimbabwe is considering mass killing of elephants for the first time since 1988 in a bid to reduce the 100,000 strong population of the animals and protect the environment.

The proposed culling, along with a plan to sell 500 elephants to professional hunters, is part of the country's efforts to depopulate its national parks, Environment minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu said.

Zimbabwe has over the years come under attack from animal rights groups over its decision to sell baby elephants to Chinese zoos, and the proposal to cull the animals is likely to be met with fierce resistance.

"A lot of noise is coming from people, who have no genuine interest in the conservation that is taking place in Zimbabwe," Mr Ndlovu told the State-owned ZTN television network.

"We are trying to reduce the numbers. We have to discuss at policy level. Options are on the table, including culling. We haven't made a decision on that."



The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) says the country killed more than 50,000 elephants on five occasions between 1965 and 1988 to manage populations at its game reserves.

Zimbabwe Professional Guides Association chairperson, Rob Lurie, said culling was one of the ways the country could manage its big elephant population.

"It's a big animal, it eats a lot, it wanders a lot and does not stay in one place, so the next best tool is the harvesting of it by culling," Mr Lurie said.

"It's not an easy task and would require a lot of manpower and financing to be done correctly," he added.

Zimbabwe has the world's second-largest population of elephants after neighbouring Botswana. Zimparks says the large number is causing massive destruction of habitat needed by other species and is a threat to human life in communities surrounding game reserves.

Last month, the authority said it will soon start selling rights to shoot 500 elephants this year to raise money for conservation activities.

Zimparks said declining tourism revenues owing to the outbreak of Covid-19 was one of the reasons it was selling the elephants.

In March, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the African forest elephant as critically endangered and the African savanna elephant as endangered on its 'Red Lost of Threatened Species' due to poaching and loss of habitat.

Countries such as Zimbabwe and Botswana, however, have seen their elephant populations grow significantly in the past few years.

Anything from Kenya regarding wildlife is irrelevant!

Twice we have been there, and twice we have seen the sickly signs of non stop poaching!

"It would require a lot of manpower and financing..." I don't know but it seems like there would be a way to at least break even.

The PHs always say "culling isn't hunting" but I think some hunters would be willing (for a reasonable daily rate, no trophy fees) to come out for a couple weeks and be a part of an operation like this, shooting alongside a couple pros.

Would be a different hunting experience and certainly not for everyone, but if it could be done, having a paying client there brings in money, then Parks (or whoever is running it) sells meat, skins and ivory to recoup more costs.

I dearly love to hunt elephant, but I think killing on such a large scale would become very distasteful and downright gut wrenching very quickly. Culling involves killing entire family herds, including babies. I don’t consider it wrong, and it is needed. Personally, though, I don’t think I would have the stomach for it.

Culling requires professionals and I would imagine that the last thing a professional would want to deal with or worry about in the middle of culling a cow herd would be trying to keep up with some hunter paying to go along for the experience.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Culling requires professionals and I would imagine that the last thing a professional would want to deal with or worry about in the middle of culling a cow herd would be trying to keep up with some hunter paying to go along for the experience.

Indeed Mike but there may be opportunities to sell surplus animals to hunters. Not that it would make much of an impact.